Owning a cell phone has come to be regarded as a necessity
in modern society, and with the great advances that
have been made in smart phone technology, most of us
rely on our phones to help us in an array of situations.
While most smart phone owners are acquainted with the
helpfulness of features such as navigation apps and
mobile broadband, many people have yet to discover the
array of uses they may put their phones to in the event
of a true emergency. We have compiled a list of 10 things
your phone can do in an emergency to shed light on this
exciting and important realm of development:
1. Be an All-Purpose Emergency Kit
There are a plethora of apps that focus on a specific
niche that will benefit you in an emergency, but a more
comprehensive app can be more convenient and may help
you feel more secure. Thankfully, the FEMA app has a
little bit of everything. This app can guide you through
comprehensive emergency preparation and help you remain
safe and find shelter during an emergency, making it
an ultimate multi-purpose tool.
2. Offer Medical Help
While nothing is a more definite way to assess your
health than a visit to a doctor, iTriage will do in
a pinch. This comprehensive app allows you to assess
and research your symptoms; read about conditions, medications,
and procedures; view important news in health; look
for a variety of types of medical facilities; and book
an appointment with speed and ease, making this app
useful in both the smallest and more serious medical
emergencies.
3. Outline Basic First Aid
Even when dealing with more straightforward emergency
situations, a convenient, comprehensive, and readily
available first aid guide can be a great help. Thankfully,
apps like Army First Aid; Pocket First Aid and CPR;
and the American Red Cross' First Aid app make just
such guides available at the tips of your fingers. These
apps offer detailed instructions and advice alongside
various features that can help you through just about
any emergency.
4. Give Emergency Personnel Your Information
While a simple photo ID will identify you to emergency
personnel in the event that you cannot do so yourself,
those helping you in an emergency situation often need
more information than what can be found on your driver's
license or passport. ICE Standard, an app that has both
free and paid versions available, allows you to store
the information that emergency personnel need in one
convenient, clearly labeled place that you may make
easily accessible.
5. Locate Family Members
While GPS tracking may have a bad reputation, the technology
can be put to great use. GPS tracking can not only be
used for everyday tasks, such as ensuring the safety
of your young children or determining if your teenagers
drive recklessly, but in more dire situations. Apps
such as AT&T Family Map and Life360 can help you locate
your loved ones, and even alert them to an emergency
quickly and easily.
6. Detail Survival Tips
Whether you are commuting to work, traveling to another
country, hiking for the day, or doing anything in between,
an emergency situation can arise. While the risk of
an emergency is often low, it is best to know how to
handle such situations. In lieu of memorizing countless
survival tips and techniques, apps such as SAS Survival
Guide and Survival Pocket Ref offer you information
on how to survive just about any emergency at the push
of a button.
7. Identify Edible and Medicinal Plants
Though conversance in wild plant information may be
viewed as an obsolete skill, it is not entirely useless
in modern society. Whether you simply find yourself
hungry while hiking or you become injured on a trek,
you may wish you could discern edible and medicinal
plants. Thankfully, apps such as Wild Edibles and Edible
and Medicinal Plants can help you determine which plants
around you make for safe sustenance or temporary medical
relief.
8. Navigate a Car Crash
With roughly 10 million car crashes occurring yearly
in the U.S., it is wise to be well-equipped to handle
a car crash at all times. Fortunately, motor vehicle
crash assistance apps are available to make managing
this unfortunate situation as easy as possible. Apps
like iWrecked allow you to store and access all pertinent
information, send a report, and access emergency resources
with great ease and efficiency.
9. Help You Find Shelter
Apps like the American Red Cross: Shelter View and Network
of Care Shelter Finder are great resources to ensure
that you can always be safe. Whether your area experiences
severe weather or a natural disaster, or you otherwise
find yourself in unsafe position, these apps allow you
to find shelters that fit your needs with great ease.
10. Alert You to an Emergency
While many programs that can help you during an emergency
do their job well, one is generally better equipped
to handle an emergency if they are also prepared for
it. Thankfully, apps like Emergency Alert and Disaster
Alert specialize in emergency preparedness. These apps
can alert you to emergencies that may affect you, and
can provide you with up-to-date information regarding
the situation so that you can best prepare to stay safe.
About the Author -
Sharon Housley is the VP of Marketing for NotePage,
Inc. a software company for communication software solutions.
http://www.notepage.net
|