Amazon trained Prime drivers to use defibrillators

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Amazon has angled to become a major player in the healthcare industry for years, but the company may try extending its reach into daily life even further. According to recently revealed internal documents, Amazon conducted smallscale tests in Europe that involved training contracted Prime drivers on defibrillators to help in emergency response scenarios.

According to an April 10 report from Bloomberg, the series of trials known as Project Pulse began in Amsterdam in November 2023, before expanding to London, Bologna, Italy, and elsewhere. Over 100 contract Prime delivery drivers volunteered, after which they took a basic first-aid course that included CPR training. Once completed, Amazon supplied them with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) manufactured by the Dutch company Koninklijke Philips NV.

AEDs are specifically designed to be used with minimal experience. The devices rely on external sensor pads that adhere to a patient’s chest while the main component’s speaker verbally directs an operator to administer a shock when needed. Although many businesses and public facilities store AEDs in the event of a medical emergency, the American Heart Association estimates only around 15 percent of heart attacks occur in these spaces. Meanwhile, the American Red Cross cites that over 70 percent of cardiac events take place in private homes. Around 90 percent of heart attack patients survive if defibrillation is administered within the first minute of the emergency.

After completing training and receiving an AED, Prime drivers then downloaded citizen responder apps depending on their location. If alerted to a nearby suspected cardiac arrest emergency, Amazon’s contract workers could then travel to the location and administer care if necessary.

However, it’s unclear how often Amazon was involved in emergency response situations, and the outcomes of those emergency responses.

Prime vans outfitted with basic emergency medical equipment may make sense from a logistical standpoint, but it’s also representative of Amazon’s extension into just about every facet of daily life. Bloomberg also noted that a previous study by Koninklijke Philips included in Amazon’s internal papers estimated that AED-stocked delivery vehicles deployed across north Seattle could respond to a crisis over a minute faster than emergency medical services. Another internal document concluded it would cost Amazon less than $17 million to equip 15 percent of drivers across the company’s more than 1,100 last-mile delivery depots worldwide.

Although Project Pulse has reportedly ended, similar trials were ongoing as recently as last year in Paris. Internal documents also indicate the company may try expanding the proactive emergency response measures into other regions and markets in the future.
“This type of initiative is always a plus. If someone has a cardiac arrest, the more people trained and defibrillators available, the better,” said Paul Dardel, chief physician for the French first responder app Staying Alive. “And for Amazon, it valorizes their image.”