After 47 Years, 911 Calling Just Got Smarter
Alert-360® personal safety app uses real-time crowdsourcing to connect people and improve emergency response times
ROSEVILLE, Calif., Feb. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 16, 1968 - forty-seven years ago today - the first 9-1-1 call was placed in Haleyville, Alabama. To commemorate that event, Biosynq Corporation is launching Alert-360®, the first mobile 9-1-1 crowdsourcing smartphone app. This historic call will be made in The City of Roseville and the system will also be launching in Oakland, CA. Hong Sae, Roseville's Chief Information Officer, will be making the world's first crowdsourced 9-1-1 call at City Hall, in Roseville at the time of the original call at 12 noon. Biosynq will also hold an open house for the media at the Impact Hub Oakland at 2323 Broadway from 3:00-5:00 PM.
App users receive real-time emergency alerts regarding 9-1-1 incidents that are crowdsourced from users in their area and as a result they can lend help or avoid an area, depending on the nature of the emergency. Plus when Alert-360® users have their own emergency, they can get help from nearby users. App users can also receive alerts when friends & family dial 9-1-1 from anywhere in the world and get emergency help when travelling, even when they don't know the local emergency number. The system instantaneously maps the caller's location and transforms nearby users into "instant witnesses" that can submit photos and other incident information, which is then transmitted to public safety responders. Among other features, the system can be used by individuals to enhance their own personal safety or by organizations & businesses to be notified whenever employees dial 9-1-1.
During medical emergencies, response times play a critical role in patient survivability. In a typical 9-1-1 emergency, the caller and a 9-1-1 dispatch operator are the only ones that are aware of an incident for an average of 10 minutes; however in some areas, response times have been as high as 58 minutes, as is the case in Detroit, Michigan1.
In communities with Alert-360®, "help may be just around the corner," notes Rick Diamond, CEO of Biosynq. "As of 1/5/15 AMBER Alerts have helped rescue and return 728 children."2 This child-rescue system and successful apps like Google's "Waze" underscore the critical role that citizens can play in reducing crime. The Alert-360® system automates this type of crowdsourced assistance and utilizes proprietary and patent pending technology to involve qualified citizens, improve response times and augment witness communications. While other emergency oriented apps exist, no other apps utilize real-time crowdsourcing to involve local citizens to enhance existing 9-1-1 services. For more information or to download the free app and for the full release & sources visit alert-360.com/info1. Contact Richard Diamond 847.531.9142 [email protected].
"As a City Manager, I'm always looking for ways to make the community safer and more secure without prohibitive costs. Awareness and rapid response are essential ingredients in the public safety equation. Now we can add virtual communication networks to the equation." Ray Kerridge, City of Roseville, CA.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150213/175591
SOURCE Alert-360
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