Deputy chiefs detail community paramedicine HQ, surf-rescue training and PulsePoint rollout

Deputy Chief of Administration Tom O'Connor briefed the Commission on administrative and support services matters, saying the community paramedicine team has moved into new headquarters at 1415 Evans and that tenant improvements — including HVAC delivery — are expected in July. O'Connor also reported 84 COVID cases among staff in May, most described as mild, and noted steps to streamline drug-testing contracts and medical screenings for probationary firefighters.

Deputy Chief Bob Postel described ongoing operational training, including a week-long surf-rescue class that trains firefighters in lifeguarding and use of jet skis, and he introduced the PulsePoint app that went live in May. Postel said PulsePoint will alert CPR-trained bystanders to nearby cardiac arrests and the nearest automated external defibrillator, explaining, "if you have this PulsePoint app on your phone when the cardiac event happens, you'll get an alert if you're in the vicinity and it'll tell you where the nearest defibrillator is and where the incident is happening." He and others noted operational concerns about how outside responders might affect professional emergency response and said the department has not activated non-CPR features for bystander response in all categories yet.

Commissioners asked technical and operational questions about PulsePoint and the new community paramedicine facility; staff deferred some technical details to program leads and said they would follow up. The Commission received the report; no formal action was taken in this segment.