Lancaster County uses app to increase public safety

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – Lancaster County can now add its name to a long list of places across the country that are using technology to enhance public safety.

“We can see a pizza being delivered. You can see that on an app and we’re slowly bringing that into healthcare,” said Darrell Fisher, President of Lancaster County EMS Council.

An app called PulsePoint is now operational, connecting people in CPR training with those who are experiencing a cardiac emergency. Darrell Fisher is leading the project.

“In October we took a test stand. We brought in emergency responders who could download the app to test if the app worked for Lancaster County,” Fisher said.

This means that as little as 2,000 test users provide coverage.

But how does it work?

The app is integrated with the 911 dispatch centers. So when a 911 call comes in, anyone within a half-mile radius who has the app on their phone will receive a notification.

“So if you have an off-duty nurse, police officer, firefighter, or paramedic in your neighborhood, your next-door neighbor will get an alert on their phone that they’re in cardiac arrest,” Fisher said.

Lancaster General Health is funding the project for five years. Fisher says even if someone isn’t CPR certified, the app can save lives — because the app tells users how to perform CPR and where to find the nearest AED, giving that person the best possible chance of getting through.

“You double the chance of survival if you start CPR before our ambulance arrives. Every minute that CPR is not performed loses 10 percent chance of survival at the end of the day,” he added.