Fire Department

We've told you about the PulsePoint app, which alerts you when someone in a nearby public place is suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.

Now, the MFD is proud to be a part of the PulsePoint Verified Responder pilot program! This innovative program allows off-duty firefighters and paramedics to be alerted when someone in a nearby private residence is suffering from cardiac arrest.

This program is made possible by a partnership between the Madison Fire Department, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 311, the PulsePoint Foundation, and Philips.

74% of heart attacks in Madison occur in the home, which is why the addition of Verified Responder is so important.

MFD's Verified Responders are also equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) thanks to a generous donation from Philips Healthcare.

How it works: Upon receiving an alert that a cardiac arrest has occurred within a quarter-mile of their location, Verified Responders can tell PulsePoint they are responding to the emergency. Not only can they provide life-saving chest compressions before an ambulance arrives, they can also attempt to establish a normal heart rhythm using their AED.

148 firefighters and paramedics from the Madison Fire Department have signed on to the Verified Responder pilot program, which runs through December 2018.

Access to the PulsePoint app has been funded by the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Foundation since its launch in Madison and Dane County in 2015. There are 26,000 PulsePoint users locally. The app is now in more than 2,500 communities in 35 states with more than 1,000,000 users nationwide.

Thanks to PulsePoint Verified Responder, our lifesaving impact can be much greater!