Every day in Canada, approximately 100 people suffer a cardiac arrest.
“Once your heart is stopped, your chance of survival declines by approximately ten percent per minute,” said Dr. Rob Grierson, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS)’s Medical Director. “Based on this, seconds do count.”
Dr. Grierson said early defibrillation and early CPR are the only two treatments proven to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim.
Each year in Winnipeg, approximately 1,100 cardiac arrest events come in through the WFPS 911 Communications Centre. Of these, approximately 30 percent occur in public places.
To get help where it’s needed, the WFPS has launched the use of the PulsePoint Respond application for mobile devices.
“The PulsePoint Respond app alerts users with CPR training of sudden cardiac arrest incidents in public places in their vicinity,” said John Lane, the WFPS Chief. “We encourage anyone with current CPR training to download the PulsePoint Respond app.”
Using the WFPS 911 system, app technology, and GPS on smartphones, PulsePoint Respond alerts CPR-trained bystanders about sudden cardiac arrest incidents in public locations within 500 metres of their location. It can also alert them to the location of the nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED).