Westshore fire departments join Cleveland Clinic on lifesaving app
Bill Sillisen, left, and Tom Beers from the Cleveland Clinic demonstrate CPR to Norah Hamil, age 9, during the March 3 Bay Village City Council meeting.
"We want an army of rescuers," said Bill Sillisen in describing the new PulsePoint smartphone app released to public from the Cleveland Clinic with cooperation from Westshore fire departments. Sillisen, regional EMS director for the Clinic, and Tom Beers, an EMS manager for the Clinic, provided a presentation at the March 3 Bay Village City Council meeting of the lifesaving benefits of the new smart phone app.
Upon receiving a call regarding a suspected sudden cardiac arrest victim, the 911/emergency communication center activates an alert to PulsePoint app users simultaneously with the dispatch of local emergency medical services (EMS).
The PulsePoint app helps improve community response to sudden cardiac arrest victims by notifying and enabling citizen bystanders that lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is needed and where someone can access a nearby automated external defibrillator (AED).
The PulsePoint software has been integrated with the computer-aided dispatch systems in the cities of Bay Village, Westlake, Rocky River, Fairview Park, North Ridgeville and Cleveland.
"We very much appreciate that the Cleveland Clinic has partnered with the Westshore fire departments to bring this technology and its potential lifesaving assistance to the communities we serve. We hope that everyone with CPR training will download this app immediately," said Bay Village Fire Chief Christopher Lyons.
The free PulsePoint app is available to the public for Apple iOS and Google Android devices from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
After downloading, select “WestShore Fire Departments” as the agency to follow.
There is a “CPR How-To” section on the app that offers instructions on performing CPR for those not certified, and the Bay Village Fire Department also offers informational CPR classes free to the public. The classes are held the third Wednesday of every month, 7-10 p.m., at the Bay Village Police Station community room. Call 440-871-1214 to sign up.