This is a guest post by Jeanette Kozlowski. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
While iPhones have been known to save a social life or two, who’d a thought you could use the decade’s trendiest gadget to save real lives, too? Inspired by Mashable’s list of “7 iPhone Apps That Can Save Lives,” here are the best free and paid applications to help you in everyday rescue missions.
Calling all iPhone-aholics: Know of a really great app that’s helped you on the job that isn’t mentioned? Feel free to post it in the comments section!
Pocket First Aid & CPR – $3.99
Created by the American Heart Association, the Pocket First Aid & CPR features hundreds of pages with illustrations and covers CPR, choking, bites, bruises, burns, seizures, diabetic emergencies and more. Moreover, there are videos and a place where you can save your own and others medical emergency information.
myLite Flashlight – Free
Dubbed the “Swiss Army Knife of flashlights,” myLite provides illumination when you need it the most. Obviously it won’t be as bright as your standard flashlight, but what it will do is allow you to adjust color and brightness. As mentioned by its creator DoApp Inc., other uses for myLite include sending out SOS messages and showing off on the dance floor.
Police Scanner – $2.99
This app grants you on-the-go access to law enforcement, fire and EMS dispatch frequencies. While on-call volunteer firefighters and emergency responders can listen in, they won’t be able to broadcast or respond. Frequencies include both national and international streams.
CPR & Choking – Free
If someone is actually choking, it might not be the time to pull out your iPhone. Despite that fact, it serves as a proper review for those who already have had CPR training. Developed by doctors and educators at the University of Washington, this life-saving app includes short video demonstrations on how to perform CPR properly.
EMS Logger Plus – $2.99
Building on the success of the free EMS Logger, EMS Logger Plus allows paramedics to document critical events without a pen and paper. This new version even includes a shaker-activated timer, which helps you time pulse and respiration. The app’s creator, an EMT student at the time, has also created similar applications for police and fire personnel that can be found here.
EMS Meds – $2.99
Written by the same EMT student who made EMS Logger Plus, EMS Meds is a perfect reference guide for paramedics that catalogs about 80 commonly used drugs by EMS personnel. In addition to the dosage guide, there are four calculators for dosage, body surface area, simple infusion and drip rates.
SirenFX – Police/Emergency Sound Effects – $.99
A catalogue of emergency sound effects can be a big help if you find yourself in an emergency situation without a siren. On the other hand, it appears its best use is to freak out your friends. In addition to a siren, sound effects include a police radio, air horn and wail.
Author: Jeanette Kozlowski is a freelance journalist and resident blogger for Cat5 Commerce, a niche retail operator. She spends most days monitoring the wires for new and exciting public safety developments to share on Tactical Pants Blog, an information hub for the law enforcement and public safety industry.
