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App Reviews

App Review: Emergency Response Guidebook for the Droid Smartphone

This is a guest post by Firefighter/Paramedic Rich Young. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Emergency Response Guidebook App

This application puts the entire Emergency Response Guide onto your Android powered phone’s SD card allowing the user to access to the ERG anywhere they have their phone without needing a network connection. The app is 969.8kb and the version reviewed is version 1.1.7.  This application looks exactly like the ERG and is laid out in a very familiar format.

Navigation and Bookmarking

One thing I noticed is that being proficient at using the actual ERG does help when learning how to use this app. A bookmark feature is built in and comes in handy for marking the beginning of the various colored sections. A navigation bar allows you to turn from page to page as well as the option of quickly moving a known page number. Accessing the menu function gives you the options of: table of contents, add a bookmark, bookmarks, as well as first and last pages.

Feature Suggestions

The more you use this program, the easier it becomes to navigate. However, there are a few things that would make this app better. First, it lacks a search feature. It would be very convenient to search for a guide number or placard number, then have it take you directly to that page. Turning from page to page is time-consuming. Second, the “green” section of the version I downloaded has several flaws. It is set up as a table, however, it doesn’t line up correctly; making it impossible to read. Lastly, although the navigation bar is opaque and sits at the top of the screen it still covers that portion making it difficult to read the guide numbers and any information that is “hiding” under the navigation bar.

Overall the Emergency Response Guidebook app is easy to use with practice. I wouldn’t call it a substitute for the actual book, but it is nice to have in a pinch.

The ERG application for the Droid by Agilus is available from www.androlib.com for 99¢.

Richard Young is a Firefighter/Paramedic that has been involved in EMS for the past 18 years in both public and private sectors. Richard has experience ranging from field medic, tactical medic, field supervisor and EMS educator. Connect with him on Twitter @YoungKREW

Interested in the ERG, check out:

  1. ERG Apps
  2. Emergency Response Guidebook Training

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By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.