Saving lives with three words

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -Emergency responders are turning to an app called what3words to save lives faster.

Every year 240 million people make calls to 911, according to NENA, and some often struggle with communicating their location.

The developers of what3words say the app can help. It gives every location in the world a unique address, each assigned a combination of three words. “We have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words,” as explained on the apps website.

If someone is lost or in danger, the free app allows them to read out their three-word address to dispatchers and emergency teams will instantly know their precise location. What3words addresses can also be shared over text, radio or digitally. This minimizes the room for error when incident locations are passed between teams on the ground and different agencies.

Across the globe thousands of people have been rescued using the app from one disaster or another (lost while hiking, response to a wildfire, flooding, etc.) The Baldwin County Police and Fire Departments is launching a public awareness campaign on the app.

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