The Miami Beach Fire Department has become the first in South Florida to adopt What3Words, an app that helps emergency responders pinpoint exact locations using just three words.
The app divides the world into three-meter squares, each assigned a unique three-word combination. It's meant to help 911 dispatchers locate callers more quickly, especially in areas without clear addresses, like the beach, parks or even in the middle of the ocean.
“Without landmark(s), it's very hard for us to truly find the person. By the time that first responders arrive, you know, it's taking us two, three minutes to even get in contact with a person,” said Fire Chief Digna Abello.
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Callers don’t need to download the app to use it in emergencies. Dispatchers can send a text with a link that shares the user’s precise location.
The app also works offline and in more than 60 languages, which Abello says, is a key feature for the city’s international tourists.
“At the organization level, the frustration of not being able to find an unconscious victim because someone, for whatever reason, was just a passerby in a vehicle… A lot of times it is, you know, gone on arrival ‘cause they don't see them.”
The department officially deployed the system last week and has already used it in two emergency calls.
“It's just an extra tool. And why not leverage the opportunity to get help to you faster?” Abello says.
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