PEOPLE in an emergency will be able to pinpoint their location easier, thanks to a new app.
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Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said the free Emergency+ app gives users their GPS reference, which they can then give to an emergency call taker.
“The increase in mobile phone use by Australians means that more than 65 per cent of calls to triple-0 are now made from mobile phones,” Mr Tehan said.
“Sometimes mobile phone users are not aware of their physical location, making it difficult for emergency call operators to accurately and quickly dispatch emergency services.
“This app solves this problem by providing callers with the ability to verbally provide emergency call operators with their location information, as determined by their smartphone’s GPS capability.”
Mr Tehan said the rapid development of emergency service technologies was the main reason it was so important that mobile phone black spots were eliminated in Wannon.
The app also contains the emergency contact numbers and a short explanation of when to call non-emergency numbers such as the police assistance line (131 444) and the SES national number (132 500).
It is available on iOS and Android devices through the Google play store and Apple app store.
The development of the app was funded by the federal government through a national emergency management project grant.