The PulsePoint Foundation is proud to announce the release of the Android version of its lifesaving mobile app that crowd-sources Good Samaritans to events where the potential need for bystander CPR is high. The iPhone version of the app was released in January 2011 by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. The PulsePoint Foundation is the new nonprofit organization taking the reins from the Fire District to guide, enhance and expand the reach of the app worldwide.
"We are very pleased to be extending the reach of the application to Android devices and users," said Richard Price, President of the PulsePoint Foundation and Fire Chief for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. "With nearly 1,000 deaths a day directly attributed to Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the time for this app is now."
The foundation turned to Workday, Inc. (http://www.workday.com/) to encourage its employees to volunteer to design and build the Android version along with a multijurisdictional, multi-client infrastructure that could handle the worldwide interest in the app. The app was developed solely by volunteers from Workday's development team. "Workday believes strongly in the mission of the foundation and is pleased that several of its employees donated their own time to lend a hand in this important initiative to improve the outcomes for victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest," said Petros Dermetzis, Vice President of Development at Workday. "We are very proud and appreciative of the Workday employees who raised their hands to help others with this project."
The PulsePoint app (previously the FireDepartment app) is now available at no cost in the Android Market. Android users can now simply visit the Market and search for "PulsePoint" to download the app, (the PulsePoint App requires the Android operating system of 2.2 or greater). Once the app is loaded into the phone users can volunteer to be notified if someone nearby is in need of CPR by selecting the CPR notification option.
The application has received several international awards including the International Association of Fire Chiefs 2011 Fire Service Award for Excellence, a Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) 2011 VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, a 2011 Computerworld Honors Program Laureate Award for Innovation, an American Heart Association Life Saver Heart Partner Award, and an IADAS Webby Official Honoree award for the Best Use of GPS or Location Technology. The Public Service Announcement designed to promote awareness and adoption of the application also received two Telly Awards.
The foundation is guided by an Advisory Board made up of visionaries in the tech and medical industries, including Dr. Ben Bobrow of the Arizona Department of Health Services, Co-Founder and Co-CEO Dave Duffield of Workday, CIO Tim Ferguson of Northern Kentucky University, CEO Tim O'fReilly of O'Reilly Media, and President Jack Parow of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
PulsePoint is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area whose goal is to make it much easier for citizens who are certified in CPR to use their life saving skills to do just that - save lives! Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local Fire Departments, EMS agencies, and Police Departments to improve communications with citizens and empower them to reduce worldwide sudden cardiac arrest deaths.
For additional web and print resources related to the app including sample screen shots, supporting images and video, please visit the PulsePoint Foundation website at http://pulsepoint.org/media-resources.
