With more than 75 billion mobile apps downloaded from the Apple Store, it’s a wonder that there are any new ideas out there. But while many of the existing apps are games and niche-tools used for fun, there are some that are used much more practically — even necessarily.
Mobilize Rescue Systems, a Pittsford-based company, produces a medical kit for the untrained bystander. But this kit isn’t like the one that you have under your bathroom sink, and it also includes an app.
“Average EMS response time in the U.S. is about nine minutes,” said Mobilize’s president, Jason Gotham. “We’re trying to bridge that gap between when a medical emergency occurs and EMS gets there. Most of the time people want to help, but they don’t know how to help.”
The Gates Chili School District is one of Mobilize’s most recent adopters. Faculty and staff have been briefed on how to use the app and how it helps guide them, as a first responder, to treat any illness or injuries they may encounter.
“I have first aid and CPR training, but this goes beyond that,” said Marcy Wing, a physical education teacher and soccer coach in the Gates Chili School District.
Not only does Mobilize cover basic first aid, it also shows users how to use tourniquets, apply burn dressings, and check blood sugar levels if someone has gone into diabetic shock.
Seth Goldstein, paramedic and Mobilize director of training, explains that the company has designed the app in a user-friendly way that will help any user complete a time-sensitive medical necessity based on best practices and the most recent available research.
“What that means is, the app is going to help you figure out what the problem is and give you what we believe is the best course of action,” said Goldstein.
The units cost $2,200 each, but are equipped with everything anyone could need to handle an emergency.
When Gates Chili Superintendent Kimberle Ward found out about Mobilize and how it could revolutionize emergency response, she jumped on the opportunity right away.
Gates Chili is the first district to adopt the units, and invested $100,000 to put them in every school and every bus district-wide. They are expected to be in place by sometimes next year.
Gotham says that any doubts about Mobilize should be dismissed.
“We’re not trying to replace the emergency medical system,” she said. “We’re trying to enhance it.”
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