A free app that alerts CPR-trained bystanders to nearby cardiac arrests is now available to residents across Hamilton County, including Anderson Township, Newtown, Mariemont and Terrace Park.

The PulsePoint app, announced Thursday, Sept. 3, by the Hamilton County Fire Chiefs' Association, sends automated notifications to registered users within a quarter mile of a reported cardiac arrest. It also directs them to the nearest automated external defibrillator, or AED. The Christ Hospital is funding the countywide rollout, so no taxpayer money is involved, Fox 19 reported.

Survival rates drop 7 to 10 percent for every minute a cardiac arrest victim goes without CPR, and EMS crews in Hamilton County typically arrive in four to six minutes, according to Fox 19. PulsePoint had been available in Cincinnati for several years, but the expansion now covers all of Hamilton County, WLWT reported.

Last year, the Hamilton County Emergency Communications Center handled more than 600,000 assistance requests. About 7,000 were cardiac-related. Of those, 1,700 involved confirmed cardiac arrests that required additional help, according to WLWT.

"CPR is critical. AED is critical. Getting us on the road is critical. All of these things help link the chain of survival and increase survival rates," Steve Oughterson, fire chief of the Madeira and Indian Hill Joint Fire District, said at the announcement.

Andy Neff, director of the Hamilton County Emergency Communications Center, said the public does not yet think of AEDs the way it thinks of fire extinguishers. His agency is working to raise that awareness, he said.

The app works by sending an alert after a 911 call is placed. Users download PulsePoint, select their responding agency and certify they are trained in CPR and willing to help. When an alert fires, users confirm they are responding, and the app routes them to the scene.

Residents who are not CPR-trained can still use PulsePoint. The app provides step-by-step instructions for performing CPR and using an AED.

PulsePoint does not track or store personal information and only activates for incidents in public spaces, not private residences.

Local leaders are also urging businesses to register their AEDs with PulsePoint so the devices can be located faster during emergencies. The app is available for free download on Apple and Android devices.