Tuesday, July 14, 2015

You can help

PulsePoint is coming to Lincoln. In preparation for its launch, we have been working to improve the accuracy of the database about Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Lincoln Fire & Rescue maintains a registry of AEDs, and this is the source for the location information needed by PulsePoint. People who manage facilities can register or update the information about their AEDs at LF&R's website using a simple online form. Registration is actually required by State law.

Ordinary citizens, however, can also help us--if they use an Apple or Android smartphone. Here's how: download the free PulsePoint AED app. Whereas PulsePoint aims to notify citizens of cardiac arrests in public places near their current location, PulsePoint AED is designed to crowd-source information about the location of AEDs in the community. Data collected via PulsePoint AED is fed to PulsePoint Respond.

If you see an AED in Lincoln, open the PulsePoint AED app to check if it shows up on the map. If not, tap the plus sign to add it. You can also use your smartphone to take a snapshot of the AED. We'll double check the data, approve the submission, and within a short time it will be added to the map. If you see an AED that is already on the map but lacks a photo, take one and submit it. Try to take the photo with a little of the context around it, like the one below in the lobby of Hall of Justice.

We know there are lots of AEDs out there that we don't know about. We also suspect there are others that have been moved, or been retired. We'd really like to clean the data up, so we can maximize the chance that citizen-rescuers can find a nearby AED in the event of a cardiac arrest.

Screenshot from my iPhone

4 comments:

Tom Casady said...

Just found one missing on the map myself, while attending a meeting at the Municipal Services Center. I used the PulsePoint AED app to enter it's location and take a photo, and it now appears in PulsePoint as a "Pending AED" with an orange (rather than red) icon.

Tom Casady said...

As I wrapping up at the Municipal Services Center, EMS Chief Roger Bonin reminded me that an AED a few blocks away at the Highlands Golf Course was actually used to save a life last year. We looked, and it wasn't on the map. Five minutes later, en route back to my office, that was corrected when I snagged it with PulsePoint AED.

Anonymous said...

Director,
Is there any special training needed to use these devices on another person?
Gun Nut

Tom Casady said...

Gun Nut,

Not really. Anyone who has received CPR training during about the past decade has probably learned about AEDs, but in reality, the devices have pictographs that are self-explanatory and easy to follow. Open the AED, apply the pads, and follow the voice prompts. It's automated, and the machine delivers the shock if it is indicated.