As part of an ongoing effort to raise public safety in Long Beach, the city announced a partnership today with a mobile app called Pulse Point.

The app, which officially launches tomorrow during the READY Long Beach Community Preparedness Expo, will be used by the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) to alert CPR-trained residents when someone in their immediate vicinity is in need of assistance for life-threatening medical emergencies.

“As someone who really believes in technology and in the future of technology, we are entering a partnership with an incredible app that will literally help us save lives in this community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia at a press conference today.

Councilwomen Stacy Mungo and Suzie Price brought the idea of the app to the city council earlier this year, Garcia said. Mungo said at the press conference that the app was just the beginning of helpful technology being introduced to the community.

“The way to be the most effective city is when we adopt technology, and this is a technology that will actually change people’s lives,” she said.

Deputy Chief Rich Brandt of the LBFD said the app will be beneficial to the city and will assist the fire department. He said Pulse Point is gaining widespread adoption throughout California and the rest of the United States.

“A citizen bystander can actually make an intervention before emergency personnel arrive to the scene,” he said.

Garcia said that means the emergency departments in Long Beach are now fortified.

“It creates more first responders and strengthens the programs,” Garcia said. “This is an incredible asset to the city.”

The app is available through the App Store on iOS and through the Android Market.