Dutch introduce emergency service app to cut help waiting time

The Dutch emergency services have introduced an alarm app which people can use to alert the police, fire brigade and medical services when they are in trouble, broadcaster Nos says on Thursday.

The SOS Alarm App will also alert volunteers in the neighbourhood of the incident, such as off-duty doctors or people with first aid qualifications, who have registered to be included.

In total, 32,000 people have come forward saying they are prepared to help if there is an emergency within one kilometer of where they are, the broadcaster says. The alarm line operators hope to have 100,000 volunteers by the end of the year.

The app will pass on the location of the incident to the alarm room as well as any photographs which the caller has taken. The caller will also be connected by phone to the relevant authorities.

The organisers hope using the app will reduce the time it takes experts to reach the scene of an incident.