Could You Save a Life Today?

The City of San Diego has teamed with San Diego County to offer the free PulsePoint mobile app that alerts CPR-trained bystanders if someone nearby is having a sudden cardiac arrest that may require CPR.

The app is activated by one of the five public safety communications centers in the county at the same moment that fire and EMS resources are dispatched to the scene.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for an estimated 325,000 deaths each year -- nearly 1,000 people a day or one person every two minutes. It can happen to anyone at any time. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.

Survival rates nationally for sudden cardiac arrest are less than 8%. Delivery of CPR is life-saving first aid, and can sustain life until paramedics arrive by helping to maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain. But it is estimated that only about a third of sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.

Without oxygen-rich blood, permanent brain damage or death can occur in less than eight minutes. After 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. Even in modern urban settings the response times for professional rescuers commonly approach these time frames. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person's chance of survival.

The PulsePoint app is free.

From the agency list, find and follow San Diego Fire-Rescue or any county fire department of your choice.

Go to settings and select the "CPR" notification box