VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Let's say you're at the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach or at First Landing State Park and you need help.
You call 911 but have no idea how to describe where you are. Before you panic, it’s good to know that there is innovative technology to help responders find you.
In Virginia Beach, responders rely on the What 3 Words app.
"It gives you the navigation tool. It has an arrow that points you to where they are. If they're moving, those three words change, you re-navigate, and it will take you directly to the person," says Carmen VanVoorhis.
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VanVoorhis, the Deputy Director of Operations with Virginia Beach’s Emergency Communications and Citizens Services, says the program divides the world into 10 by 10 squares.
With the help of GPS coordinates, each square—based on your location—has a unique code or three words. Those three words are supposed to make it easier to find people.
"We want to use any tool available to us in order to find you... That's our job," says VanVoorhis.
She says every computer in Virginia Beach's 911 center has the program installed. So, when you call into 911, the app immediately pinpoints your location by the three words. After dispatchers take the call, they give the information to responders, like Assistant Fire Chief Michael Brashear.
Brashear says it was helpful during the Something In The Water festival because there's no physical address on the sand.
"If someone's calling during a concert with tens of thousands of people surrounding them, it can be hard to locate them. So, using this app was the solution to finding that person," he says.
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Brashear also found a woman at First Landing State Park who was having an allergic reaction and couldn't describe where she was.
He believes it would have delayed their response time if they didn’t have access to What 3 Words.
Both Brashear and VanVoorhis say they are thankful for the technological advancements so they can help bring people home safely.
"At the end of the day, we have one mission. The mission is to help the citizens of our city," says VanVoorhis. "It would be nice for the citizens to know that we use so many things to help them."
VanVoorhis tells me most other cities also have this technology, so it's seamless if they need to communicate with each other or follow a vehicle over city lines.
What 3 Words is also an app you can download and use yourself. It can be helpful if you're on vacation with family and want an easier way to find one another. According to the company that designed the app, you can use it offline and without cell phone data.
