Using the GPS technology in smartphones, echo112 is a simple-to-use app that works anywhere in the world and is the only emergency app that not only calls the local emergency services but also provides precise details of the users location. The perfect travelling companion, it displays the emergency services number for the users current country and will direct dial to the local emergency services operator for assistance. It also shows and transmits nearby addresses and coordinates so that the emergency operator can get the users exact location via the echo112.com website.
The app was created by Jocelyn Corniche, a hospital ER anaesthesiologist based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and founder of medical app development company mobilemed. As an emergency doctor in the air ambulance service, he has seen first-hand how vital it is to be able to locate someone quickly in an emergency situation. It was when he realised how difficult it was for the emergency services to locate people in trouble that he had the idea for echo112.
Echo112 is the guardian angel on your smartphone, Jocelyn said. Giving local emergency services direct access to your location and by making it quick and easy for you to contact them, echo112 can save precious seconds, which can be vital in an emergency.
Echo112 is free to download and there is no need to register or provide any personal details. When the user needs assistance the app is activated by pressing the SOS button: the emergency number for the country will be displayed and a call initiated to the operator. The users exact location is sent to the echo112.com website and the operator can then visit the site and enter the users mobile number for their precise location, including coordinates and the nearest full address. If they have no mobile data connectivity then their location is sent via SMS.
The international app has been developed following the success of the Swiss-only version of the app, known as My144. My144 has been on the market for two years, in which time it has been downloaded 150,000 times. There are at least two known examples of when it has been used in emergency situations, involving walkers who suffered medical problems whilst in remote locations.
Without this quick and simple way of determining and sending exact location data, two people could conceivably have lost their lives, Jocelyn explained. I knew that the GPS technology in our phones could be used to locate users who need assistance, but previously there was no easy way to transmit this information to the emergency services. Echo112 solves this problem by providing a website so that the emergency services can precisely pinpoint callers.
Echo112 overcomes the problem posed by the fact that every country around the world has emergency services that all operate differently, and which are frequently broken down into local services with no central, countrywide, location. Instead, sending location data to an independent website ensures the app will function anywhere in the world. Furthermore, it is simple enough to be used by all smartphone users, young and old alike. For anyone who travels extensively or spends a lot of time in the great outdoors, or for those with existing medical conditions that could present at any time, it is a must-have app.
Echo112 is currently available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian and works anywhere in the world.