RICHMOND, Va.-- During a rescue operation, time is essential and the use of a navigation app is helping first responders in Richmond cut down on the time it takes to find someone.
The app is called what3words, and it's a simple way to talk about location. The app has divided the world into trillions of 10 by 10 squares, and each square has a unique three word code.
For example, the front door of Richmond City Hall's code is the words: saves, grew and horses.
What3words actually assisted the Richmond Fire Department Monday in locating a man in Manchester who they say fell 40 feet into a manhole at the Southern States Silos.
"One thing that we do recommend is for citizens in Richmond, particularly if you're around the river, we were able to use the what3words app which will allow it gives you three words and allow you to determine someone's exact location within 10 by 10 square," explained Richmond Fire Battalion Chief Bailey Martin.
In fact, when you think about an emergency, the first thing dispatchers normally ask is your location.
"If you're not on a street, or if you're not at home, where most emergencies occur, then it can be quite difficult to explain where you are," said what3words chief marketing officer, Giles Rhys Jones.
Right now, over 100 emergency departments across the country rely on the free app to help rescue people.
In addition to Monday’s incident in Manchester, Jones explained just last year, a Virginia Beach woman was paddleboarding and got taken out by the current.
He explained she was incredibly tired and couldn't get back to safety, but she was able to describe exactly where she was on the water to her husband using what3words. and a rescue operation was launched.
"If you don't have cell service, or you don't have data service, the system will still work," Jones noted. "We take a GPS feed and the GPS chip on your phone. And we convert those GPS coordinates to words. And then you can kind of relay those either through a text message or through spoken word."
In addition to emergency services, the app is also being used in state parks to identify exact parking lot entrances, and some vehicles allow you to enter 3 words instead of a full address.
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