App alerts those with CPR training to nearby cardiac arrests in Juneau
Published 5:30 am Saturday, August 29, 2026
Juneau is introducing a new lifeline for residents experience a heart attack.
September will see the launch of Pulse Point Respond, a free mobile app designed to connect CPR-trained community members with people experiencing cardiac arrest before professional responders arrive on the scene.
And every minute counts, according to said Andrew Pantiskas, Division Chief of Emergency Medical Services for Capital City Fire Rescue.
“For every minute without CPR, there is about a 10 percent decrease in the chance of survival,” said Pantiskas, adding the average response time is about nine minutes for Capital City Fire Rescue.
He said while firefighters and paramedics are trained and equipped to provide advanced care, there is an unavoidable period between the 911 call and first responders’ arrival.
“The sooner we start compression assistance, the sooner we can prevent brain death. The sooner we start the better,” said Pantiskas, pointing out the time it takes crews to get to the top of an apartment complex or office tower could be the difference between life and death.
“Having a neighbor in the building with CPR training and able to grab an AED (automated external defibrillator) can make all the difference.”
He said Juneau, on average, has about 50 cardiac arrest responses a year, with about 30 to 40 of those having the potential for resuscitation.
“What we have found in Juneau is we have a lot of trained people,” said Pantiskas, adding that Pulse Point allows the community to benefit from that expertise.
PulsePoint Respond alerts registered CPR-trained users when a cardiac arrest is reported near the user’s location. The app also directs these rescuers to the exact location of nearby AEDs. Pantiskas said users can just download the app, with no need to enter a location, as the app geo-locates them to nearby emergencies.
Pantiskas said being able to start CPR as soon as possible after a call to 911 is the best way to bring people home to their families.
“That’s what the whole goal of it is, to bring our community members home alive.”
Residents who are CPR-trained and willing to assist can download PulsePoint Respond through the Apple App Store or Google Play, follow their local emergency response agency (“Capital City FR” in Juneau), and indicate that they are CPR-trained and willing to respond to nearby cardiac arrest alerts.
Community members can also use the PulsePoint Foundation AED NEAR Registry to help identify AEDs throughout Juneau.
The implementation of PulsePoint Respond in Juneau is funded through Marine Passenger Fees.
