On Feb. 20, 2026, a collaborative group of local fire departments, businesses, nonprofits, and hospitals (The “Tri-County Cardiac Arrest Collaborative”) announced the adoption of PulsePoint in Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties. The event was held at Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and was highlighted by messages from the American Heart Association, Bennington Fire & Rescue, Omaha Fire & Rescue, CPR survivors and more. The speakers detailed the benefits of PulsePoint, a free-to-download mobile app, which: 

1) alerts citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid
2) helps build a comprehensive Automated External Defibrillator (AED) registry 

PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint Respond app subscribers who have indicated they are willing to assist in case of an emergency can be notified if someone nearby is having a SCA and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneously with the dispatch of advanced medical care.

The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest AED.  

The companion app, PulsePoint AED, lets citizens report and update AED locations so that emergency responders, including nearby citizens, can find an AED close to them when a cardiac emergency occurs. You can help build the community registry by using PulsePoint AED to describe the location of an AED and add a picture. 

This information is then shared with local authorities to verify. After that, the AED location data can be made available to dispatchers and anyone using the PulsePoint Respond app.  

“With PulsePoint we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs,” said Dave Keber with the Omaha Fire Department.  “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene.” Throughout the year, fire departments throughout Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington counties respond to 300 to 400 cardiac arrest incidents. A victim’s chance of survival of cardiac arrests drops 10% for each minute that passes without CPR.

Assistant Chief Chad Nixon, NRP, EMS-I with Bennington Fire/Rescue said, “Improving situational awareness with PulsePoint can help build safer, stronger and more resilient communities.” 

American Heart Association guidelines, published in Circulation, state that such community programs could increase bystander CPR to the roughly 350,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital each year. 

We would also like to thank the following organizations and companies for making a financial contribution that helped bring this project to fruition: 

AED Empire | American Heart Association, Nebraska
Bennington Community Foundation | Bennington Fire and Rescue
Cargill | CHI Health System | Elkhorn Suburban Fire District
Fort Calhoun Fire and Rescue | FNBO | Kennard Fire and Rescue
Methodist Hospital | National Safety Council - Nebraska Chapter
Nebraska Medicine | Omaha Fire and Rescue
Washington County Mutual Aid Association

About the PulsePoint Foundation 
PulsePoint is a public, 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that builds applications for use by public safety agencies to increase community awareness during critical events. The PulsePoint Respond mobile app notifies trained individuals of the nearby need for CPR and the PulsePoint AED registry identifies AED (automated external defibrillator) locations for use by the public and 9-1-1 telecommunicators during emergency call taking. PulsePoint also provides specialized mobile apps for professional responders. Learn more at pulsepoint.org. The free apps are available for download on the App Store and Google Play. 

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest 
Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than 10 percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain. However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. On a national level, the average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. 

The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. 

 

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 About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.   

 

For Media Inquiries:
Shannon Hilaire; Shannon.M.Hilaire@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org