Jersey City Training Volunteers To Help With 911 Medical Calls
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Jersey City is aiming to cut the response times for medical emergencies by training about 300 residents to help out.
According to Mayor Steven Fulop, when a 911 medical call is received, GPS technology will be used to alert a nearby volunteer who can respond minutes before an ambulance arrives.
"Think about how Uber works and how they route cars that are close to an individual when they call or tap the app," Fulop told WCBS 880's Levon Putney. "It's going to be the same sort of technology. This is modeled after what's currently being done in Israel.
"We think that (ambulances) still will arrive in five minutes, but in the case of life and death, 2 1/2 minutes is valuable time," the mayor added. "Every second matters."
The volunteers will attend a class for basic EMS qualifications and be given equipment, Fulop said.
The system is set to start in the fall.