The City of Geneva and the Swiss Emergency Responders Association (SERA) have signed a partnership agreement concerning the Save a Life project. A means for the municipality to contribute to strengthening civic solidarity and saving lives.
Every year, 400 people in Geneva are victims of a cardio-respiratory arrest (CRA). On average, it takes the emergency services ten minutes to reach the scene; however, every minute without a cardiac massage reduces the chances of survival by 10 to 12%. Unfortunately, witnesses rarely attempt to resuscitate victims before the emergency services arrive, most often for fear of doing something wrong. Simple gestures that everyone can perform nevertheless help save lives.
A network that aims to save lives
It is with a view to improving this situation that SERA inaugurated the Save a Life project in 2019: a network of first responders trained to take action in the event of a cardiac arrest, alerted by 144 phone service thanks to the Save a Life smartphone app. This app makes it possible to detect the closest first responders to the victim and thus to guarantee rapid intervention. The location of defibrillators is also indicated on the map of the State of Geneva, available via the app.
A formidable new partner
The City of Geneva boasts the highest population density in the canton, and over 40% of the Save a Life interventions take place within the municipal territory. Furthermore, the municipality is one of the largest employers in the canton.
This new partnership should thus make it possible to increase the number of first responders in the Save a Life network significantly, by enabling the employees of the City to join the network and respond to alerts during their work time, under certain conditions. The partnership will also make it possible to indicate the location of the defibrillators within the City of Geneva on the official map of the Canton, accessible via the emergency response centres and the Save a Life app. SERA and the City of Geneva are therefore delighted at the implementation of this partnership, which should help improve the speed with which cardiac arrest victims are treated in Geneva and thus save more lives.
About Save a Life
Today, Save a Life boasts almost 2,000 first responders registered via the app in the Canton of Geneva. In 2021, a first responder was present on site in 76.5% of interventions relating to a cardiac arrest. On average, the network of Save a Life first responders is alerted 13 times per month.
To find out more: Save a Life website.
Contact
Anne Bonvin Bonfanti
Département des finances, de l'environnement et du logement
Conseillère de direction
Contact médias
5, rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
1204
Genève
Suisse
Article modifié le 11.05.2022 à 16:22