Manatee County asks local business owners to register AED locations online

Manatee County asks local business owners to register AED locations online
Posted on 11/20/2017

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Nov. 20, 2017) – Manatee County Public Safety officials are looking to local business owners to help complete an online directory of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations throughout the county.

Earlier this month Manatee County 911 and fire officials announced the arrival of Pulsepoint, a free mobile app that alerts citizens trained in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when someone in a nearby public place suffers sudden cardiac arrest.

911 operators now send alerts through the app at the same time they dispatch first responders to the scene, giving anyone who has the app an alert that someone needs help, along with the location of the closest available AED. Already nearly 300 Manatee County residents have downloaded the app.

Manatee County 911 Chief Jake Saur said business owners and people in public areas who see AEDs can report them online easily by using the PulsePoint app or at www.mymanatee.org/pulsepoint

Business owners who register their AEDs with the County may not only get better use of those devices, they'll also receive notifications when the AED needs new batteries or other service adjustments. Owners can also input email or mobile phone numbers to receive a PulsePoint notification when their AED is recommended for a sudden cardiac arrest.

"We've located more than 120 AEDs in public buildings and locations around the County so far, but we think there could be as many as 500 throughout Manatee County," Saur said. "PulsePoint becomes an even more powerful lifesaving tool the more we know where AEDs are located, so that Good Samaritans can begin CPR while others retrieve an AED to assist before paramedics arrive."

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter @ManateeGov.