Toronto police encourage use of what3words app in wake of emergency situation near Rouge River
Global News
'They can just text you the link and all you do is click on the link and three random words will pop up ... and that can narrow down the location.'
Toronto police are encouraging the use of a locator app called what3words to help in emergency situations following an incident on Wednesday that required an immediate response in a remote, largely unknown area.
“Our officers really needed to know as soon as they could where this person was located so they could assist,” said Const. Laura Brabant, corporate communications, Toronto Police Service.
Around 8 p.m., Toronto police received a call for a person in medical distress near the Rouge River but the exact location was unknown by the caller.
“Information was received that the person in crisis had taken a photo and sent it to their friends, and it indicated that they were near a body of water and that the information was that they potentially had gone into the water,” said Brabant.
She noted that the 911 dispatcher suggested the what3words app as a tool to help locate the individual.
“They can just text you the link and all you do is click on the link and three random words will pop up … and that can narrow down the location,” she said.
In this case, there were GPS co-ordinates linked to the photograph received by the caller of the individual in crisis and Toronto Police were able to use that information to arrive promptly at the scene.
The bottom line, Brabant pointed out, is that an exact location is critical in an emergency situation.