It’s a mountaineer’s horror: One wrong step and you can’t go forward or backward. The smartphone can send an emergency call and location directly to the mountain rescue service – if you have the right app.
Emergency apps are available to hikers who are in trouble in the mountains: At least one EU emergency call can be made to 112 via “SOS EU ALP”. In many Alpine regions, however, the app can also send the GPS location data and the telephone number directly to the responsible rescue control center so that the rescue services can head to the accident site with pinpoint accuracy.
The app was therefore primarily developed for operations in the Alps, in order to be able to take care of accident victims as quickly as possible, even in remote areas. But apart from that, it can and should also be used in the event of other accidents or emergencies in the valley, in road traffic or on the water, explains the Tyrol control center as the lead developer of the app.
With location for Tyrol, South Tyrol and Bavaria
However, full functionality is limited to the German Alpine region (Bavaria), the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Italian province of South Tyrol.
If someone has an accident in these areas, the responsible control centers – if available – receive all the data from the app via the Internet or SMS, explains the German Alpine Association. In addition to the GPS location data, this also includes the retrieval time of the GPS data, altitude data and the battery level of the smartphone.
Rega app for the Swiss Alps
In Tyrol and South Tyrol, control center employees also have the option of establishing a voice connection with the accident victim via “SOS EU ALP”. In Austria, the app also shows defibrillator locations in the area.
Outside of the three Alpine areas mentioned, “SOS EU ALP” only alerts the EU emergency number 112. Anyone who is traveling in the Swiss Alps and does not want to forego the security of a direct transmission of their location to the rescuers can use the emergency app of the Swiss air rescue service Rega, which can also be used to share the current location with relatives or friends.