When you first launch the app, it asks if you’re trained in CPR and would be willing to help a stranger in an emergency. Once you accept this, the application uses the iPhone’s GPS technology to find your location. The next time a 911 dispatcher receives a call that an emergency is happening near you, you receive a notification saying where help is needed and where the closest automated external defibrillator (AED) is located.“Providing actionable, real-time information during a sudden cardiac arrest emergency, including mapping the victim and rescuer locations, along with the nearest AED locations is the quintessential use of GPS technology on a mobile phone today,” San Ramon Fire Chief Richard Price said in a press release.The application, which has existed as a less sophisticated version for some time, is being developed by interns at Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Applied Informatics, and Workday is helping to develop the app for other platforms. The app could work very well in San Ramon, mainly because the city’s fire department is more advanced than many others across the country. The department has a very detailed list of AED locations, like “at the Customer Service counter in Home Depot,” while many regions …….

via ‘Fire Department’ iPhone App Could Save Heart Attack Victims | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World.