Ep. 10: Community-Powered Emergency Response

In the first episode of season 2, Critical Connections host Ivy Cuervo and co-host Michael Stanton from Dejero speak with Richard Price, retired fire chief and Founder & President of the PulsePoint Foundation, about how community-powered technology can save lives in the critical moments before first responders arrive. When cardiac arrest happens outside a hospital, survival comes down to minutes. Richard shares the moment that changed everything: he was having lunch when sirens stopped nearby. A cardiac arrest was happening next door and despite decades in the fire service, CPR training, and an AED close by, he had no way of knowing in time to help. That experience sparked PulsePoint: technology that alerts CPR-trained bystanders and helps bring AEDs to the scene faster. Episode highlights: The origin story behind PulsePoint — and the “aha” moment Why bystanders are essential to improving cardiac arrest outcomes The AED problem: devices exist, but people often don’t know where they are The National Emergency AED Registry (NEAR) and how it supports 911 dispatch What’s next: wearables and expanding community-powered response Want to learn more or get involved? If you’re CPR trained, download PulsePoint Respond Learn more: pulsepoint.org Explore the AED registry: nearregistry.org