Amazon equips delivery staff with defibrillators in a pilot project
Amazon voluntarily trained more than 100 drivers in the use of defibrillators. First aid apps should enable them to be on site quickly in an emergency.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
As part of a pilot project, Amazon equipped more than 100 delivery drivers with AED defibrillators so that they could be on site quickly as first responders in an emergency. The drivers received notifications via various first responder apps and repeatedly reached emergencies where emergency services were already on site. The pilot project, which Bloomberg made public based on internal documents, has reportedly now ended and Amazon is evaluating the results.
In addition to the concrete, life-saving effect, Amazon hopes that the project will improve the public perception of the company and its own delivery service, which has been tarnished by poor pay, embezzlement of tips and the monitoring of drivers, according to the report.
The program, called ″Project Pulse″, started in Amsterdam in November 2023 and was later expanded to London and Bologna. Amazon entered into a partnership with Philips, which provided the defibrillators. Drivers volunteered for the project and received training in the use of the defibrillators as part of a first aid course. They then joined the first-aider apps and were alerted during their delivery journeys if they were in the vicinity of an emergency.
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Deliverers are often faster on the scene than the emergency services due to their proximity to the emergency location, argues Amazon – This can save lives in time-critical emergencies. Sudden cardiac death is the deadliest heart disease in the world – In Germany alone, 100,000 to 200,000 people die from it every year. Cardiac death is usually preceded by a cardiac arrhythmia such as ventricular fibrillation. If a defibrillator can be used, the chance of survival increases massively.
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that can be used by laypeople are now ubiquitous in public places such as train stations and airports, but emergencies in which a defibrillator would be useful mainly occur in residential areas. Amazon considers the legal risk of using defibrillators in Europe to be low, as laws in Europe generally protect first responders from lawsuits.
(acha)
