BEND, OR -- Over the past two years, the Bend Fire Department has improved response times with increased staffing, and has raised the rate of survivability for cardiac patients. But, a new smart phone app aims to incorporate the general public into the equation.
Paramedic Engineer Petar Hossick is excited about the new Pulse Point app. He tells KBND News, "We know that the most important thing is time, in cardiac arrest. And, having any of the public step in and do CPR as quick as possible, improves that person’s chance of survival. They are the ‘tip of the spear,’ we really need them out there helping us. If we want to raise our survival [rate] in our city more than where it’s at, we can’t do it without the public." Bend Fire's rate of cardiac survivability is now at about 50%, compared to a national average in the single digits.
Hossick adds, "We’re going to start pushing this in all CPR classes to people, and encourage them, if they’ve taken CPR, to download the app. Also, [we're] reaching out to all the medical providers at St. Charles and BMC and locally, to encourage them to download the app."