A Phone App May Have Saved 2 Lives in Clinton

CLINTON, MD — More details have emerged of the heroic rescue of two people from a burning home in Clinton Friday morning, and authorities are crediting the phone app "Pulse Point" for alerting authorities to the situation and potentially saving the lives of the two people who were injured.

It all started at around 6:30 a.m. on Friday when a driver traveling down Branch Avenue saw a house on fire in a community near the highway. The driver told the 911 dispatcher that the house was near Branch Avenue and Woodyard Road, the closest intersection the motorist could determine.

Firefighters were dispatched to that location, but at the same time a smart phone app called "Pulse Point" alerted subscribers about the incident. Prince George's County Sheriff Corporal Thomas Russell, who subscribes to Pulse Point, saw the alert and noticed he was just a block away, according to a report from the Prince George's County Fire Department.

When he arrived at the house, he realized that firefighters were still on their way, and because the caller had reported it from a highway that could not access the neighborhood directly, the firefighters would be delayed because they weren't headed to the right location. Russell, also a volunteer firefighter, radioed to dispatchers the correct address of the 7200 block of Milligan Road.

"This action alone saved valuable minutes in firefighters quick arrival at the correct location and rescue of two trapped occupants," the report states.

Russell then made his way to the house and told dispatch that people may be trapped inside. He tried the front door and, finding it locked, waited for firefighters to arrive to help force entry into the house.

"Upon entry firefighters found a fire consuming the rear portion of the 1-story Cape Cod and upon search of the interior found two young adults, both unconscious," the report states. "The male was located first and brought outside where firefighters quickly treated and transported him to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation. The female was found shortly after and brought to the outside. Medics found her to be have no pulse and not breathing. Advanced life support measures were initiated and she also was transported to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and burn injuries. Both occupants were in critical condition."

The fire was quickly put down by firefighters.

The female patient regained her pulse, and she and the male patient were stabilized and sent to the hospital for smoke and burn injuries, where they are listed in critical/stable condition.

The Pulse Point app alerts CPR-trained citizens of emergency events in their vicinity so they can administer aid if needed.

Image via PGFD