Restart a heart? There’s app for that — and Gig Harbor fire is using it.

Gig Harbor Fire & Rescue has joined other Sound Sound fire agencies in an effort to “crowd-source” CPR rescues through a smart-phone app.

The application is called “PulsePoint Respond,” and it alerts subscribers who are trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation when a CPR emergency occurs within a quarter mile of their location.

The app also gives the location of the nearest automated defibrillator, if one is close by.

“When someone has a sudden cardiac arrest every second counts,” said Tina Curran, the Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Prevention Specialist. “Fire crews are getting to the emergency as quick as they can, but often there are citizens who are there at the scene or very nearby who are trained in CPR.”

South Sound 911 announced its partnership with with PulsePoint Respond, a non-profit organization, on Dec. 4

Key Peninsula Fire Department is also participating, Chief Dustin Morrow said, along with Gig Harbor and 17 other Pierce County fire agencies.

Curran said PulsePoint Respond, an app released in 2010, has been used in various departments throughout the state, including Seattle and Spokane.

Once cardiac arrest begins, the survival rate is highly dependent on whether CPR is performed. According to a 2014 data, nearly 45 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive when a bystander performs CPR.

“When seconds count, anywhere, whether it be Pierce County or across the nation, it is crucial CPR is started immediately,” Curran said.

South Sound 911 and Pierce county fire districts paid roughly $30,000 in order to provide PulsePoint Respond to the county. This money was provided through South Sound 911’s regular budget.

PulsePoint Respond is much more than just a notification app. Eric Waters, a Gig Harbor fire prevention division chief, said its main use is for information.

PulsePoint Respond “keeps the community informed of emergency fire and medical activity in real-time,” Waters said in a press release. “Users can select and monitor any of the county’s 19 fire agencies and stay apprised of emergency and response activity in their jurisdiction — at the same time South Sound 911 fire dispatchers are dispatching aid.”

Waters said this app helps citizens understand the scope of the work the fire department does on a daily basis, and how often they respond to various types of calls.

“It’s a great communication tool,” Waters said. “We respond to all types of emergencies many times a day.”

PulsePoint Respond is available to download free for both iOS and Android mobile devices in the App Store and Google Play.

This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 12:00 AM.