Fire Chief Speaks About New iPhone App on "Press: Here"

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District application last month. The app could save lives by sending people trained in CPR to victims waiting for paramedics to arrive.

Fire Chief Richard Price last weekend discussed the new app on NBC's "Press: Here," a Sunday morning round-table show featuring influential people in Silicon Valley and tech reporters from across the country.

Price discussed the app with the show's host Scott McGrew, Kym McNicholas of Forbes and Ben Parr co-editor of Mashable.

"We think it is definitely too good to keep here in our small district," Price said during the segment. "We believe technology can make a big difference."

The district is working to make the app available to other fire districts across the country by forming an independent nonprofit organization.

Using the phone's GPS technology, a map will tell the user where a sudden cardiac arrest victim is, as well as the location of the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED). The user would then go to the person and help until the fire department arrives.

"This could be the most meaningful application ever written," Price said last month. "We have something that we really think is going to change the world."

The district announced last month that Danville resident Dave Duffield, CEO and co-founder of Pleasanton-based software company Workday, will partner with developers to apply the open source code of the iPhone application to other fire departments' dispatch systems at no cost.

Media executive Tim O'Reilly, along with Jack Parow, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, will reach out to fire departments nationally and internationally.

O'Reilly said at a press conference last month: "This is an example of how we should build new government services to have citizens help each other."

The concept for the application was developed about 18 months ago by Price and his staff. Last summer, without the CPR functionality.

Development of the application for the Android phone is in progress. There are plans to develop applications for other smart phones through the foundation, said Price.

"You are one geeky Fire Department," said show host McGrew during the segment. "Geeky is a compliment, by the way."

Watch the segment in the You Tube video.