During sudden cardiac arrest, every minute counts. Now, Marin residents can receive instant information on their phones about emergencies in the county, including those in their immediate vicinity that could use their help. On Feb. 14, the county announced the availability of a free, multilingual app, called PulsePoint, that alerts residents in real time to all emergency calls dispatched to the Marin County Fire Department. A selection tool allows users to filter the types of notifications, including notice of incidents of cardiac arrest within a half-mile vicinity. The Marin County Fire Chiefs Association funded Marin’s participation in the app—which serves thousands of communities nationwide after a nonprofit launched it in San Francisco a decade ago—at an upfront cost of $10,000 and an ongoing cost of around $8,000 a year. How does PulsePoint differ than other mobile emergency alert systems, such as Alert Marin? “Alert Marin is generally about actions you have to take, such as an evacuation, but PulsePoint gives you information immediately, allowing you to prepare,” explained Laine Hendricks, a county spokeswoman. “Maybe you decide, in the case of a small fire nearby, to check on an elderly neighbor, for example.” The original purpose of the app was to notify people trained in CPR of nearby incidents, in case they are willing and able to respond before emergency personnel arrive. (The county estimates it responds to 400 cardiac arrests each year.) But the app, which can be downloaded on the App Store or on Google Play, also shares information on all types of incidents. “Even before we’ve sent personnel, as soon as a call comes in, there is a notification going out on PulsePoint,” said Bret McTigue, a spokesman for the county fire department. Local emergency agencies were keen on the new resource in part as a way to preempt inquiries residents make when they smell smoke or see fire engines; those calls, often made by dialing 911, can clog lines needed to field real emergencies. Will the information cause chaos, or save lives? At a press conference last week, Bill Tyler, the Novato fire chief and the president of the fire chiefs’ association, described the need for more hands on deck. The average response time in the county is eight minutes, he said. “We’ve identified a problem that is not only countywide but also Bay Area and statewide, and that is, despite the fact that we have some of the most progressive and best fire-response agencies here in Marin and an excellent 911 dispatch system, there is still a delay from the time that someone has a cardiac arrest to the time that we can have our resources there to help them,” he said. “According to the American Heart Association, each minute that CPR and defibrillation is not given to a cardiac patient, their chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 percent.” The founder of PulsePoint, Richard Price, a venerated retired chief out of the San Ramon Valley, had the idea after someone’s heart stopped next door to where he was eating lunch. He had no idea until it was too late.