PLANO (WBAP/KLIF News ) – The City of Plano is urging citizens to download a free app that has changed the game for first responders worldwide when it comes to finding residents in need of help.
The “what3words” technology has given every ten-foot square in the world a unique combination of three words.
The combination creates an address that will help emergency teams find the user’s exact location.
The city’s Public Safety Communication Public Information Specialist Keysha Hogan said the app is vital because emergencies can happen anywhere.
“It can be along an unmarked stretch of road or a building that doesn’t have a specific entrance address out in one of the nature preserves. So, identifying precisely where help is needed is critical in order to get resources on the scene quickly,” she said.
Instead of someone experiencing an emergency where a location is difficult to describe, 911 callers can give their what3words to dispatch.
Hogan said dispatch has already been trained on how to use the software.
The app has helped rescue people from a myriad of incidents including locating victims of rural road accidents, people trapped in flood waters, kidnap victims and critically injured hikers and cyclists.
There will be a testing session at the City of Plano’s Texas Forest Fest at Haggard Park on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m..
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