- Help is a tap away (Image: Frank Krahmer/Getty)
- mg22630152.000-1_300[1].jpg (14.16 KiB) Viewed 2930 times
"Don't worry," he says. "It won't actually call 911."
Not yet, anyway. Martin is showing me the latest version of One-Touch-911, an app created by his start-up, RapidSOS. It reimagines how people get help in an emergency: rather than dialling a phone number, users can push a single button to summon first responders.
Emergency dispatch systems need an overhaul. They were designed to handle calls from landlines, automatically pulling up the name and address associated with the fixed line. But today, about 70 per cent of 911 calls in the US are from cellphones, and may not register a location or callback number in the system. The call can be traced to a nearby cellular tower, but that takes time and only gives a rough location. If someone can't speak because they are in danger or badly hurt, if they don't know where they are or the call gets cut off too soon, then calling from a mobile gives the police nothing to go on.
"People have at their fingertips the ability to push and pull data, to take pictures and video, to text," says Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association in Alexandria, Virginia. "They're expecting the parties with whom they communicate to have these same capabilities."
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, RapidSOS created One-Touch-911 to provide enough data for emergency services to respond. Each button in the app triggers a standard call to nearby dispatchers, but the call arrives tagged with the phone's GPS location and any medical details the user previously entered into the system. That's enough to send police or ambulances on their way, even if the person is unable to speak. Users can also set the app to notify friends or family members if a call goes out.
Where cellular coverage is limited, the app tries to find alternative routes for the call through Wi-Fi networks. It also focuses on getting richer information out than a simple phone call could: it is able to send pictures and video, although not all emergency dispatchers can receive them at present.
RapidSOS is launching a pilot programme in northern Texas in May, and has started a crowdfunding campaign to recruit testers. The firm needs to ensure that the app plays well with the many software systems used by dispatchers across the US.
Martin says some of this software is holding up progress. "I can push a button and call Uber, but I can't call a first responder," says Martin. "We thought, we should just build a really reliable version of that technology. But it's a challenge to drive innovation into the existing system."
This article appeared in print under the headline "App tells rescuers how to reach and save you"