Maricopa Fire Department urges people to download CPR phone app

MARICOPA, AZ - Fire officials in Maricopa say people should start CPR before help arrives, and a phone application can guide you through it when necessary.

CPR.

The three little letters that could save a life, but it's the one tool millions around the country and thousands here in Arizona may not know how to perform.

Sonja Pempleton of Maricopa admits she doesn't know it.

"I guess I should get my son in-law to teach me," she said.

But now the Maricopa Fire Department says there may be another way to learn how to perform CPR.

The American Heart Association introduced a hands-only CPR app you can download to your cell phone.

After one click, Firefighter Brad Pitassi shows how easy it is to use the phone app.

He says the app allows people to first call 911 then within seconds, Pitassi says it shows you where to place your hands on the chest and how to perform continuous chest compressions.

"It gives a diagram of good strong deep compressions and the tone is the rate of 100 chest compressions a minute," he said.

Pitassi says people performing CPR can set the phone down next to the patient.

But they caution the phone app is for adults and not a replacement for CPR classes.

He says it's just an additional tool to help save a life.

"When that time comes and you do see an adult collapse, you'll have that training and familiarity and you need to do the two steps to save a life," Pitassi said.