Southern Georgian Bay OPP are focusing on safety through the use of location technology.
They're promoting the what3words app, which provides a simple way to communicate a very precise location, and can be helpful in emergencies.
The app divides the world into a grid of 10-foot squares and gives each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address. For example, relations.fatigue.appraise will take you to the front door of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment.
Police say it's been used for everything from rescuing pets, to locating lost and injured snowmobilers/ATVs with pinpoint accuracy.
With the fall hunting season in full swing, and the winter season soon to arrive, OPP say their communications centre will be busy. In an emergency, identifying precisely where help is needed is critical to getting resources to the scene quickly, however, they say this can be challenging when callers are in remote or unfamiliar areas, without street addresses or on unnamed trails. Officers say in these moments, emergency services can waste precious time and resources just trying to locate the person in need of help.
Using a what3words address gives callers a simple way to describe precisely where help is needed and enables call takers to dispatch resources straight to the scene.
The app is free to download for both iOS and Android devices, and works offline, making it ideal for use in areas with an unreliable data connection, such as hiking trails and campsites. It can also be used via the online map at what3words.com.
Emergency response teams across Canada have praised what3words as a multilingual innovative location technology for decreasing response times when it matters most. The OPP started using the what3words app in December 2020.
OPP say emergency services are trained to gather as much location information as possible from callers using different technologies - with what3words being one of them.
Police advise that while not intended as a replacement for the traditional 'must-pack' survival gear worth bringing along on all hikes and outdoor adventures, the technology has become a well-used partner to emergency services around the world, saving dispatchers and responders time and resources in an emergency.
To learn more about the what3words app and how to use it in an emergency, click here.
Banner image via Southern Georgian Bay OPP
