LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – A new emergency response app is mapping out a better way to call for help.
Skip the street address. The what3words app uses just three words to pinpoint your exact location, making it easier for 911 to find you fast.
If it sounds familiar, what3words was previously featured on our daily What the Tech segment.
Local public safety departments are encouraging people to download the emergency response app that pings your exact location, even if there’s no street address. Whether you’re lost in the woods or simply cannot speak, the what3words app will put you on the map.
what3words, according to Ingham County Captain Andrew Daenzer, is already being used here in Mid-Michigan. “Our dispatch is very familiar with it. We have used it to find missing persons or lost persons.”
The app is also being used across the United States, including Austin PD, EMS and Fire, Dallas PD & Fire, Los Angeles Fire, Ingham County 911, Jackson Police, and Blackman-Leoni DPS. It pinpoints precise locations within a grid of 10-foot squares. Each square is assigned a unique three-word address.
“All you have to do is open up that app, hit your arrow,” Daenzer said. “It’s going to show you exactly where we’re at with that dot. Give it a second to settle and once you click on that cackling. advancing. members.”
Making it easy to share exact locations in places without a formal street address, like a park or open field.
Daenzer said, “So, if this were a large area, if I was lost; I could open this app, find my location, give those three words to dispatch.”
Whether it’s a park bench, a parking space, or a remote spot on a hiking trail, each location has its own unique address made up of just three words.
“We have hunting season coming up,” Daenzer said. “So, a hunter that’s out in the woods and maybe has a medical issue and they need help right away, the time searching matters. So, if we can get to them quicker that’s going to help save lives.”
Knowing your exact location can make all the difference.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
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