What3words
Emergencies can happen anywhere, and at any time. And we know that in that moment when an incident happens it can be hard to accurately describe where you are. But for us, the location is one of the most important parts – without it we can’t respond.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the free app, what3words. Its a really simple way to talk about a location. The app has divided the world into 3m squares, each with a unique 3 word address.
With just over a third of all the incidents we attend in rural areas, it’s not uncommon for our patients to be away from obvious addresses or landmarks. Whether that’s knowing what road you are on, or where you are on a motorway. Even out on a country walk, horse riding or cycling off-road on a public footpath.
In an emergency, people can discover the three words for their current location by simply opening the free what3words app, pressing the current location button and reading 3 words off their phone screen. The app works offline so the caller can find their 3 word address with or without a data connection.
I once took a call from somebody who had found a severely injured horse rider. With no phone signal the caller had to run back to their house to use a landline and was unable to provide a specific location. We dispatched our crew to their house, but they still had to direct us to the patient’s location. In these situations, what3words can describe exactly where our help is needed, making sure we get our crew there as quickly and directly as possible.
We urge you and your loved ones to download the what3words app to save us time in reaching you should you ever need our advanced medical care. It could be the difference between life and death when minutes really matter. – Kurtis Poole, Critical Care Paramedic
