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How To Create and Use Mobile Apps for EMS
Anyone in public safety can benefit from relevant mobile apps and even create new ones to fill additional needs, according to a webinar presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) First Responders Group.
The discussion regarding mobile apps has shifted from whether we really need them to who should create them, how we can afford them and how to organize and optimize them, the webinar states.
In a presentation from the Capacity Building Webinar Series on Jan. 22, multiple presenters came together to share examples of how they have utilized apps or created them for local, state or national use.
Smart Use of Apps on Your Smartphone
Charlottesville, Va. Fire Chief Charles Werner recounts how he utilized a FEMA app several years ago during a local earthquake—something he had never encountered before in his career. He immediately accessed information about what to do and was able to able to maintain the confidence of the public.
“Within a couple of minutes I was speaking to the media as though I had known this all my life,” he says.
He additionally accessed news about the specific incident. “I knew where it was, when it was, the magnitude of it and the significance that it was near a nuclear reactor,” he says.
“This puts information at your fingertips and makes you more effective at what you do…your smartphone—or whatever you’re using—has now become the Swiss Army knife of communications, providing data that we could have only imagined a few years ago.”
Werner additionally discussed accessing information such as weather; a lightning locator; hurricane tracker; traffic information that could affect response routes; local radio and TV news; fire hydrant locations; a vehicle locator; local events and road closures; a hybrid vehicle extrication guide; hazardous materials guide; and a translator app for 9 different languages that he has used so far on one occasion.
He says any sensitive information is stored on a secure server, not the device, so there is no security danger in the event that the device is lost or stolen.
He says he’s looking at creating packages of information, such as that listed above, with layers the viewer could turn on and off.
Additionally, Werner addressed creating multimedia for training, and apps for social media. “Across the public safety environment, social media is becoming a really critical tool for us to be able to share information and to be able to monitor information that might be incorrect,” he says.
Creating Your Own Apps
Joel Thomas, CERT President and volunteer in Cheverly, Md., explained how he led the development of the "My Cheverly" app for local use. He says the idea grew from conversations with neighbors, and then backing from the city council. It includes information such as news, traffic and emergency contacts.
“Really anyone can create a basic, functional app,” he suggests, by coming up with the concept and possibly the design, and then working with a developer. He adds, “Partnership with local government and community organizations is critical to adoption.” Also, “ Don’t try to put an entire website into an app; focus on action-oriented data. The best apps are very narrowly focused.”
A discussion on a state-level app, “Ready TN,” came from Alan Spraggins, consultant to DHS S&T First Responders Group, TechSHARE Team, G&H International Services, Inc.
Addtionally, a discussion on a national-level app, “Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)” came from Jen Pakiam, Disaster Information Management Research Center, National Library of Medicine, NIH, HHS.
Pakiam recommends starting with the following questions:
- What data do we already have that could be used by others?
- Who might use the information?
- What other information do they need and how can it be incorporated?
- How can it be packaged in a way that is useful and intuitive?
Additional concerns include efficiency (including effect on the device’s battery power), any need for connectivity, what platform(s) to use, being a credible and unbiased resource and updating and responding to users’ needs and feedback.
“Your users will tell you what they want, what platforms they use, their budget, their battery life,” Pakiam says. “We know from our research that if they don’t use it on a regular basis, then they’re going to forget about it.”
Key Take-Aways
The discussion left viewers with a general understanding of the different types of apps; examples of how state and local first responder and emergency management agencies are using apps; things to consider when creating a mobile app; and resources to find, use, create and share information about mobile apps for public safety.
The resources provided were APCO, NASCIO, codeofamerica.org, NISC, GSA’s HowTo.gov and the Disaster Information Management Resource Center.
To view a recording of the webinar visit firstresponder.gov.
