New Smart Phone App, Emergency+

[Gazza]

A new smartphone app called Emergency+ has been developed by the Triple Zero Awareness Work Group, a national body that represents emergency call-taking agencies throughout Australia. The app has been designed in response to a number of problems experienced by emergency call-takers and emergency service officers.

The work group identified that 66% of incoming calls to 000 are now made from mobile phones, however callers are often unable to identify their location, meaning call processing times are longer and call takers are unable to take the next incoming emergency call.

Determining a callers location is the most critical piece of information call-takers require. If they do not know where the caller is, they are unable to turn out crews to assist until more specific incident information is supplied.

The Emergency+ app uses the existing GPS functionality of smart phones to enable callers to provide call-takers with their location as detirmined by their smart phone.

When activated, the built in access ability features of a smart phone will describe aloud what appears on screen, so a caller can use the app without seeing it.

Reaserch also suggests that many people are not aware of the SES or Police assistance line numbers, meaning their default action is to call 000, tying up emergency call-takers unnessarily.

The Emergency+ app includes the option of calling the SES or Police assistance line numbers, along with details of other relevant national numbers such as Crime Stoppers and Health Direct Australia.

I would encourage all members of this forum to seriously consider downloading this app. It is free and, as an emergency service worker, the benefits to the emergency services as a whole are considerable.

Additional information on the Emergency+ app can be found at www.triplezero.gov.au

Cheers.

[Mark M]

Great idea Gazz, I downloaded the app and called but you didn't answer.

I ended up talking to some dude I didn't know, what's going on there?

free bump

[Hooked]

Thanks Gazza with all the remote areas I visit this just may come into use some day.

Cheers

[Tony Ireland]

Have put it on all of our phones :-)

[jackdawg]

Sounds very similar to the NSW emergency services one, which I have on my phone even though I live in Qld, as Qld didn't have anything! (Numbers in it are national)

I'll load this one up instead.

[jackdawg]

Ha, just checked, it is the NSW one !
Worth having if only for the GPS component, being a road worker for many years, on more than one occasion I've had to ring for emergency and not known where I was exactly. With no local call centres any more for emergency, "2k's past Joe Patterson's gate" apparently just doesn't cut it anymore as a location description!