Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Seattle man is alive today thanks to smartphone app alerts

A Seattle, Washington man is alive today thanks to an app created by a former northern California fire chief. When Stephen DeMont collapsed in front of the University of Washington Medical Center on October 14th, a 911 call activated alerts to CPR-trained responders in close proximity to the incident, as reported by the Associated Press.

The alerts were sent out by PulsePoint, which has two functions. The location-aware app notifies nearby people who are trained in CPR and have the app installed on their phones that an incident has occurred and gives the location of the stricken person. The app also provides directions to the nearest publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Recommended Videos

In DeMont’s case, he collapsed outside the hospital when he got off his bicycle. Medical student Zach Forcade saw him in distress and started performing chest compressions. Forcade also told a bystander to call 911. The 911 call triggered an alert that went out immediately to 41 people within a 330-yard radius. Cardiac nurse Madeline Dahl had downloaded the app to her phone the previous month, and when the alert came she ran down two flights of stairs to help Forcade and make sure he was doing what needed to be done.

PulsePoint, which works through the 911 system, was developed by former fire chief Richard Price. More than 900,000 people in the U.S. have downloaded the app. Since the program’s inception, 13,000 alerts have gone out for cardiac events and 34,000 people have been alerted to respond.

Price conceived of PulsePoint on a day when he was off duty in a restaurant and heard sirens. One of his crews from the San Ramon Valley, California fire department arrived at the same restaurant to help someone — an unconscious, unresponsive person behind a wall within 20 feet of where Price had been sitting. He realized if he or anyone else had been alerted, they could have made a difference sooner.

Respond AED

Respond AED

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Google confirms merging Chrome OS and Android into one platform
Google Chrome app on s8 screen.

Why it matters: Google's push to blend Chrome OS and Android could supercharge affordable laptops like Chromebooks, making them more versatile for work and play. This move echoes Apple's seamless ecosystem across iPadOS and macOS, potentially shaking up the PC market where Windows dominates but innovation lags.

What's happening: In a bombshell interview, Google's Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat outright confirmed the company is "combining Chrome OS and Android into a single platform. This follows months of rumors and aligns with Android 16's new desktop-friendly features, like proper windowing and external display support. But then Samat later clarified on X that it's not a full-on merger killing Chrome OS; instead, it's about weaving Android's tech stack deeper into Chrome for better app compatibility and hardware efficiency.

Read more
The best iPhone apps in 2025: These are the apps you need to download right now
Best iPhone apps 2025.

Your iPhone is a powerhouse, but with millions of apps cluttering the App Store, picking winners saves time, boosts efficiency, and amps up fun—especially as iOS evolves with smarter AI and seamless integrations.

I've curated standout apps based on my personal experience in addition to researching reader reviews and even other sites on the web across essential categories, drawing from hands-on tests and expert insights. These aren't just popular; they're game-changers for productivity, health, entertainment, and more. 

Read more
OnePlus makes Apple Watch owners jealous with novel charging cable
Apple owners are having to pay a lot more for the privilage
A OnePlus smartwatch being connected to the POGO pin on the OnePlus 2-in-1 charging cable

Update 07/16: we've now included mention of Nomad's 2-in-1 charger for iPhone and Apple Watch

Look, I get it. Charging cables aren't exactly the sexiest product in the tech world and I'd forgive you for rolling your eyes - but OnePlus has introduced a new cable at a price point which makes it way more accessible than rivals.

Read more