There's a phrase in the world of emergency response that says "time is tissue."
It means the longer a medical problem goes untreated, the more tissue damage occurs, making a full recovery less and less likely. The longer a heart is without help during cardiac arrest, the more damage is caused. Every minute without CPR reduces a person's survival chance by 10%.
While EMS and ambulance districts work to pass levies and shorten response times, there's one tool that's already out there quietly filling the gap. Chances are, you're already holding it: a cellphone and an app called Pulsepoint.
The Coeur d'Alene firefighter Erik Loney was at home when his phone buzzed with an alert: Someone needed CPR just one block away. He grabbed his phone and ran to help a stranger in cardiac arrest. The man survived.
"It just says someone needs help, and if you're busy and you don't feel like it, you don't have to go, but if you aren't and you're CPR trained, you can go," Loney said.
The notification came from PulsePoint, a smartphone app that alerts CPR-trained users when someone nearby needs immediate help. Connected directly to 911 dispatch systems, the app sends notifications to users within about a quarter-mile radius when cardiac arrest occurs in public places.
Emergency responders say the technology addresses a critical gap.
"The earlier that somebody can do something, the better," said Michael Stowell, chief of the Canyon County Ambulance District.
Since downloading the app about a year ago, Loney has responded to two cardiac emergencies while off duty. The second occurred during a family vacation at a Costco in northern Idaho, where he helped with chest compressions until paramedics arrived. That person also survived.
"I feel grateful that I was able to go and help those people, and by the grace of God, both of them survived," Loney said.
The app doesn't replace professional medical care but aims to provide immediate assistance while emergency responders travel to the scene. In rural areas like much of Idaho, where ambulance response times can stretch longer, those extra minutes prove crucial.
Stowell's district recently struggled with staffing shortages that left no ambulances available — called "level zero" — during some emergency calls. Canyon County voters approved a levy override in May that will allow the district to hire more personnel and open additional stations.
"It's a team effort, whether it's police, fire, EMS and the general public," Stowell said. "We all have a part to play, and this is one tool that the public would have at their disposal."
PulsePoint requires local public safety agencies to adopt the service, meaning it's not available in all areas. Both Stowell and Loney encourage communities and residents to sign up where possible.
The technology follows emergency medicine's "time is tissue" principle — the longer medical problems go untreated, the more tissue damage occurs and the lower the chances of full recovery.
For Loney, responding to emergencies while off duty reinforces his commitment to public service.
"Being in proximity of two cardiac arrests, not at work, is pretty rare," he said. "I would recommend other people to use it, too."
