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Crime & Safety

Fire Chief Honored For High-Tech Method to Save Heart Attack Victims

Singled out by the American Heart Association, the San Ramon Valley fire district's program combines a mobile phone app and citizen involvement to rescue people with cardiac arrest.

San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Fire Chief Richard Price has been selected by the American Heart Association as the 2012 “Heart of Gold” honoree, for helping to develop a mobile phone app used to save people with cardiac arrest.

Price was singled out for working with PulsePoint, a Pleasanton-based nonprofit foundation, to release an app that allows citizens trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation to provide life-saving help to heart attack victims.

Users of this app now will be notified if someone nearby is having a heart attack and needs CPR. If someone is having a heart attack in a public place, the app, using sophisticated location-based services, will alert people in the area of the need for CPR.

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The application also directs citizen rescuers to the exact location of the closest public access defibrillator. Since its release earlier this year the app has received worldwide attention and acclaim.

“Each year, we search for an individual who stands out in the fight against cardiovascular disease and stroke to honor with our Heart of Gold award,” said Jill DiGiacomo, executive director of the American Heart Association’s Greater Bay Area Division. “Our hats are off to Chief Price for developing this cutting-edge and innovative technology.”

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A 32-year veteran of the fire service, Price joined the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District in 2006 as assistant fire chief of operations. He became fire chief in 2008.

He is also president of the board for PulsePoint, which works to improve technology and communications to empower ordinary people to reduce deaths from sudden cardiac arrest.

“I am extremely honored to receive this level of recognition from the American Heart Association,” said Price. “I’m also very excited to be in a position to enable citizen superheroes by extending the reach of the CPR/AED mobile application worldwide through the PulsePoint Foundation.”

“Every day nearly 1,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest in the U.S. alone – one every two minutes,” continued Price. “I believe this app can significantly improve that outcome through increased citizen engagement and awareness.”

The heart association will honor price at its Heart of Gold ball on June 2 at Livermore’s Wente Vineyards. www.heart.org.

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