Quick-Response Lifesavers: How Smartphone-Aided First Aiders Are Bridging the Gap
Alerting Neighborhoods: The Life-Saving Potential of Smartphone Applications - Neighbors Close By: The Life-Saving Potential of the Alarmingly Helpful App
Good ol' volunteer firefighters in Essen's fire station training room know they're in for a life-saving lesson. They're learning to harness their smartphones, first aid know-how, and a dash of fate as Mobile Rescuers – potential saviors ready to spring into action when the emergency bell tolls.
First introduced in 2013, the "Mobile Rescuers" app brings over 22,500 participants together in about 40 cities and districts across six German federal states. The future plan? Alert these lifesaving heroes simultaneously with emergency personnel – if they're within striking distance of a crisis.
As time is of the essence in cardiac arrest emergencies, the logic is simple: According to the German Resuscitation Council, roughly 120,000 people across Germany experience sudden cardiac arrest each year, and only one in ten survives. The reason? Average response times for emergency services—nine minutes on the scene. First aider apps, already popular in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, can make all the difference, warn experts from the Björn Steiger Foundation.
"After three minutes, the brain begins to die," explains Brand Inspector Jan Kuhlmann, the man behind Mobile Rescuer training at Essen's fire department. Established as one of the first major city control centers for this innovative system, Essen has been using the Mobile Rescuer principle for several years. In rural areas, long distances and city traffic congestion make timely help more precious than ever.
}: Any first aid John Doe
Qualified laypeople are key
Essen's team consists of many firefighters, healthcare professionals, rescue helpers, and doctors eager to serve as Mobile Rescuers. "Just taking a first aid course for a driver's license isn't enough," stresses Kuhlmann. Control centers must verify that app-assisted rescuers are as capable as promised.
Training emphasizes technical procedures rather than resuscitation techniques, resulting in impressive stats: Over 1,000 Mobile Rescuers in Essen have been called into action around 1,900 times since its start in 2019, with over 550 of them responding on average within 3.5 minutes – often before the emergency services.
}: I'm in! Teach me proper CPR techniques
The spark of life
The ingenious brainchild behind Mobile Rescuers is Dr. Ralf Stroop, an emergency physician from East Westphalia. Recalling the flashing lights of an ambulance in his neighborhood, he realized he could have gotten to the help sooner had he known about the emergency earlier. The light bulb moment was all it took to start building a network of brave, tech-savvy helpers.
}: My life: using tech to save others
Change is, well, inevitable
Meanwhile, other initiatives like "Region of Lifesavers" in Baden-Württemberg and the "Corhelper" app, which relies on thousands of rescuers to join the chain of life-saving care, have also popped up. Schleswig-Holstein even developed its own statewide system.
Yet, these are still individual solutions with varying standards and incompatible alert systems. As a result, Stefan Prasse, CEO of Mobile Rescuers, encourages the various providers to work together towards establishing a common set of standards. The goal: sharing life-saving practices without limiting personal freedom of choice.
The Role of Law and Leadership
Emergency medicine supports this rescuers-on-demand movement and presses for comprehensive and legal anchoring. "These apps have shown great promise in enhancing survival rates, particularly in cases of cardiac arrest," appraises Clemens Kill, director of Essen's Center for Emergency Medicine and chairman of the DGRN. In an ideal world, every citizen would be well-versed in first aid and eager to lend a helping hand. However, practicality dictates otherwise.
":step-up-and-leadOld-school emergency services still have a crucial role to play by leading the way in setting up robust, integrated, and secure first aider systems. Making contributions to the cause matters, too—voluntary activities, community engagement, and positive narratives about impactful rescuers can encourage more people to join the movement.
The potential impact is enormous: lengthening precious minutes can spur the difference between life and tragic loss. In essence, harnessing the power of technology for good – all in the name of life-saving camaraderie, grit, and quintessential European ingenuity.
In the spirit of European ingenuity, these apps, including Mobile Rescuers, have shown great potential in saving lives, particularly in case of cardiac arrest. To effectively implement these rescuers-on-demand systems, it's essential for traditional emergency services to take a lead in creating secure, integrated, and robust first aid technologies. By doing so, they can foster a community of engaged citizens, skilled in vocational training for health-and-wellness, equipped with the right technology, and eager to make a difference through lifesaving actions. Science and technology will play a crucial role in this endeavor, offering innovative solutions to bridge the gap between the need for immediate care and the availability of first responders.
