An organization representing emergency services in more than 80 countries worldwide has argued that apps can be a better way to report an emergency than making a call.
The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) made the suggestion as it announced that emergency apps designed for use in one European country will in future work across borders …
TNW reports that the Pan-European Mobile Emergency App (PEMEA) initiative has already got Spain and Italy on board, and plans to have over eight countries signed up by the end of next year.
EENA said that Apple’s support of Advanced Mobile Location was an important step, but it thinks that allowing people to use apps rather than make calls offers significant benefits.
Video calls, for example, can allow emergency services to get a clearer picture of the location and nature of the incident from the first report.
EENA estimated earlier this year that Apple’s decision to support Advanced Mobile Location – which uses the iPhone’s GPS to automatically transmit a precise location during a 911/112 call – will save 7500 lives over the next 10 years.
