4 ms·

I wish there were a premium 911 smartphone application for the public or maybe even somewhat-trained members of the public. Rather than a single number to call

by rdl 13y ago

I wish there were a premium 911 smartphone application for the public or maybe even somewhat-trained members of the public. Rather than a single number to call, show me the resources available in my local area, in realtime -- distances to a level I/II trauma facility, hazmat, fire, police, tactical, etc. (some of this might be restricted for security reasons, but "infinite" resources like a police hq or hospital wouldn't be). I specifically want to be able to report a traffic accident in e.g. Pleasanton and get connected directly to CHP, rather than going through local PD first. Voice is great, but I'd also like to get updates on ETA, and the ability to send more accurate information to the first responders than goes through 911 dispatchers -- specifically, the person on scene should see exactly what is being sent to the first responders to check it for accuracy. (maybe not so much in security/police, but in fire/medical) Sending photos and essentially a map could be really helpful. The easiest commercial market is probably regulated-industry safety professionals (power plants, chemical plants, etc.) which have unique needs. One option might be deploying it within radius of these facilities to the general public so they can get updates on things like gas releases or accidents. The longer the travel time between first responders and victims, the more useful this would be. In Palo Alto, you're going to get police/fire/medical quite quickly. In a poor city like Detroit, calls get triaged, and in actually remote areas, even more so -- yet, people often do have smartphones and at least 3G now. It would also be a big win in markets where private ambulances and other options exist (i.e. most of Asia); knowing that you can get a private ambulance for $30, or take a taxi for $10, or wait 2h for state services, would be really useful.

monkmartinez 13y ago
Resources. My city has a massive problem with retention of IT folk and I suspect this to be the case in lots of other municipalities. Your ideas are awesome, but we can't even manage to get laptops that sit next to each other to communicate and/or share data. There is no comprehensive suite of Fire/EMS software and hardware that I am aware of. It is 100% piece meal and the people making the decisions don't really understand technology.
- rdl 13y ago
  Right -- the solution (I think) would be to sell this as a packaged service, initially to the well-funded "house fire departments" at industrial facilities, and then maybe to places like airport departments, and to geographic agencies with funding. Minimizing the local customizations and local IT support. (I am pretty familiar with the nuclear plant systems, and with military and military airfield systems, but I think they're fairly similar to most profitable/regulated/compliant industrial sites like major refineries.) Essentially drchrono or practice fusion for EMS/fire/police/etc -- less featureful and customizable than the existing solutions, but vastly easier to deploy.
  - preetnation 13y ago
    rdl, we're working on this right now, starting at college campuses and corporate campuses. We've got a yc interview this weekend, so your feedback is hugely helpful. https://angel.co/bluelight-1 https://angel.co/bluelight-1
    - monkmartinez 13y ago
      Are you interfacing with the EMS side public safety directly? Ultimately, Government public safety agencies override corporate and industrial safety personnel from a NIMS, ICS point of view. You can have the best intentions of the world, but if the data isn't getting to the people who matter... the point is moot when seconds count. Most campuses and industrial complexes in my city rely on municipal Fire/EMS over municipal police. That is, they have their own security forces or police department and do not employ paramedics and fire fighters.
    - rdl 13y ago
      Awesome! Good luck! (Looks pretty good to me) I wonder if it would be a good customer development/market research strategy to volunteer with some local departments (EMT-B certification is pretty easy; it's a fair amount of time to volunteer though). Might be a good place to hire, as well.

by rdl 13y ago

monkmartinez 13y ago

Resources. My city has a massive problem with retention of IT folk and I suspect this to be the case in lots of other municipalities. Your ideas are awesome, but we can't even manage to get laptops that sit next to each other to communicate and/or share data. There is no comprehensive suite of Fire/EMS software and hardware that I am aware of. It is 100% piece meal and the people making the decisions don't really understand technology.

rdl 13y ago
Right -- the solution (I think) would be to sell this as a packaged service, initially to the well-funded "house fire departments" at industrial facilities, and then maybe to places like airport departments, and to geographic agencies with funding. Minimizing the local customizations and local IT support. (I am pretty familiar with the nuclear plant systems, and with military and military airfield systems, but I think they're fairly similar to most profitable/regulated/compliant industrial sites like major refineries.) Essentially drchrono or practice fusion for EMS/fire/police/etc -- less featureful and customizable than the existing solutions, but vastly easier to deploy.
- preetnation 13y ago
  rdl, we're working on this right now, starting at college campuses and corporate campuses. We've got a yc interview this weekend, so your feedback is hugely helpful. https://angel.co/bluelight-1 https://angel.co/bluelight-1
  - monkmartinez 13y ago
    Are you interfacing with the EMS side public safety directly? Ultimately, Government public safety agencies override corporate and industrial safety personnel from a NIMS, ICS point of view. You can have the best intentions of the world, but if the data isn't getting to the people who matter... the point is moot when seconds count. Most campuses and industrial complexes in my city rely on municipal Fire/EMS over municipal police. That is, they have their own security forces or police department and do not employ paramedics and fire fighters.
  - rdl 13y ago
    Awesome! Good luck! (Looks pretty good to me) I wonder if it would be a good customer development/market research strategy to volunteer with some local departments (EMT-B certification is pretty easy; it's a fair amount of time to volunteer though). Might be a good place to hire, as well.