Latest news with #What3Words
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Sandy Fire Department rescues hiker with broken ankle from Dimple Dell Park, location found using app
SANDY, Utah () — Sandy Fire Department rescued a hiker with a broken ankle in Dimple Dell Park, and they used an app to find the hiker's location. In a , Sandy Fire said that Company 34A was dispatched to Dimple Dell Park, and they located the patient across the river using the What 3 Words app. They were assisted by the crew of Medic Engine 32A and Sandy FD's backcountry ranger in getting the patient out. They loaded the patient onto a wheeled stretcher and took them across the flooded river to the ranger. In the Facebook post, Sandy Fire suggested that hikers download the before hiking because it can help crews find a person's location in an emergency. On its website, What 3 Words says it is the easiest way to describe any precise location. The app assigns every 10-foot square in the world a unique address made of three random words, which allows them to get much more precise with a location than a traditional address could. These addresses are always formatted as such: /// Sandy Fire Department rescues hiker with broken ankle from Dimple Dell Park, location found using app Truth or Tales: Best Friends Animal Society asks how well do you know cats? Securing the Utah Pride Festival: What's allowed in and what must stay out Former St. George Police Officer charged with alleged child abuse Trump orders probe of Biden mental state, executive actions in office Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
What the Tech: What three words
When you're out on the water or hiking in a remote area, trying to describe exactly where you are can be nearly impossible. Street names and landmarks don't exist out in the middle of a lake or deep in the woods. And while GPS coordinates can be incredibly accurate, reading off a long string of numbers in an emergency isn't always practical. That's where the What3Words app comes in. What3Words is a free app that has divided the entire globe into a grid of 3-by-3 meter squares. Each square, roughly the size of a parking space, has been assigned a unique combination of three random words. For example, one square in the middle of a lake might be labeled ' while the next square a few feet away could be ' If you need help, you can open the app and instantly get your three-word location. Send those words in a text to anyone. They don't need the app to view it. The link will open in Google Maps and show your exact location. If you're near a road or a shoreline, they'll even get turn-by-turn directions. If you're farther out, like in the ocean or a national park, they'll see your GPS coordinates, exactly what emergency responders need to find you quickly. There are other ways to share your location, like using Apple's FindMy app or dropping a pin in Google Maps, but What3Words is simple, accurate, and fast. It takes just a few seconds to find and send your location, which is a huge advantage when battery life is low or you're in a stressful situation. Plus, more and more 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers are familiar with the app and may even ask the person needing help to open the website and give them their three words. While you can do that, trying to connect to the internet in the middle of nowhere isn't reliable. This isn't just helpful for boaters. Hikers, solo travelers, campers, or anyone venturing into unfamiliar territory can benefit from having this app on their phone. It's also a smart safety tool for teenagers, elderly family members, or anyone who may need to share their location quickly and clearly. As long as you have a signal, the three words can be texted. In emergencies, a single message may be all you have time, or battery power, to send. Three simple words could save a life. What three Words is also a great app for locating friends at ballgames or music festivals. Once you share the unique words, they'll be able to walk to your location using Google Maps. I've personally used it when my daughter had car trouble on the interstate. By sharing her three words, I could even see which side of the road she was on. I found it to be easier for her to use than trying to tell me her location, and even easier than sharing an Apple location pin. It is one of the very few apps I strongly recommend everyone have on their phone. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Firefighters warn of open water risks during Hull training drill
Firefighters have urged people to "swim with caution" ahead of the summer months as they highlighted the risks of open water swimming during a training exercise. Humberside Fire and Rescue Service used the water outside Princes Quay shopping centre in Hull on Thursday to help prepare themselves for emergency Li, watch manager at the fire station in Bransholme, said: "Getting into the warmer months, we tend to see a spike of people attending open bodies of water but it's important they know the hazards that come with that." He advised those planning to swim in open water to "go in pairs, use What3Words and use the float to live technique if something goes wrong". Mr Li staged a fake emergency response outside the shopping centre, in which four individuals entered the water after visiting nearby pubs and had led to only three casualties being visible. He urged anybody who enjoys open water swimming to "act safely, let someone know you're going and enjoy it."The fire service said it hoped to educate the public on "underestimated risks associated with open water" including hidden hazards beneath the surface, the danger of cold water shock - even on warm days - and how quickly cold water can become Wilkinson, head of prevention at the fire service, said: "Our water safety campaign is all about equipping people with the knowledge they need to enjoy the water safely.""Tragically, in recent years, young lives have been lost at local waterways, despite the heroic efforts of our firefighters and emergency service teams. "As the warmer weather draws us to the water, it's crucial to understand the risks, particularly cold-water shock, which can have deadly consequences." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
CNN
05-04-2025
- CNN
A relative or friend is missing abroad. What should you do?
Fear and anxiety over a loved one missing overseas can be compounded by a lack of access to local officials and basic information, as well as time differences or language barriers. But some basic steps can – and should – be taken if you fear someone has been caught up in a disaster or gone missing. Here's where to start: The US Department of State recommends discussing plans for staying in touch with friends and relatives before they leave. Agree on how frequently they will be in touch and whether it will be over the phone, via email, or via text. It's advisable to keep their contact information and a copy of their travel itinerary, including flight and hotel information, handy, the State Department says. These details can be vital for officials to use in their search efforts should a disappearance happen. The more information you can provide, the better they may be able to help. In most cases where people are believed to be missing, a change in itinerary and travel to an area without cell signal or internet may be the reason for a falsely raised alarm, travel safety expert Lloyd Figgins told CNN, highlighting the importance of providing updates should travel plans change. If travel plans include a remote destination, bringing equipment like a small satellite communicator that doesn't need internet connectivity to work and may have limited texting capability, is also advisable. 'That will alert people to exactly where you are and what sort of situation you're finding yourself in,' Figgins said. He also recommends downloading the What3Words app onto your phone. The app uses a geocode system to identify any location with a resolution of approximately 3 meters when you open the app – even without internet or cell phone connectivity. Sometimes, American cell phones don't work well overseas. This is especially true when there are lots of calls overwhelming phone services. The State Department recommends texting, which may work better than calling from abroad. Also, try checking on your loved one's social media accounts to see if they have made recent posts. Some social media sites let people 'check in' to say where they are during a crisis. And try contacting your loved one's travel companions and close friends, as well as their tour operator, hotel, school, or any organization with which they are working. 'Particularly if they're traveling with a friend or another family member, if you can get hold of them, or if they have spoken to friends or other family members, gather information from them as quickly as you can about where they were going, who they were with, where they were planning on traveling to next,' Figgins said. 'Any details you can get from people that might have seen them or might have been with them is really key to get as quickly as possible.' If you've reached out to your US citizen relative or friend with no response, the first thing Figgins recommends is notifying the police, both in the location where they were last known to be or where you think they're missing. Each US Embassy and Consulate has local emergency numbers on their websites. Your local police department may also be able to notify the police in the location of the missing person through Interpol, Figgins said. 'A lot of people think that they need to wait 24 hours to raise the alarm. That is not the case, he said. 'If you are genuinely concerned, do not wait 24 hours, because that 24-hour window is key, particularly in things like abductions … the reality is, if someone is in danger, we need to get to them as quickly as possible.' Figgins also recommends contacting the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services office in Washington, DC, or nearest US Embassy or Consulate. State Department officials can ask authorities abroad for help and check for reports of a US citizen who has been hospitalized, arrested, or is unable to contact those looking for them. The Overseas Citizens Services office can be contacted at 1-888-407-4747. To assist officials, it's important to establish if your friend or loved one has any medical conditions. 'If they have a pre-existing medical condition, they could have had a medical episode. Therefore, you'll need to check with local hospitals, clinics and so on,' Figgins said. Another thing to do from home is to provide officials with a recent photograph of the person who is missing, taking care that the photo closely resembles what they currently look like. 'If it is looking like the worst-case scenario, you might be asked by the police to provide a DNA sample from that person, and that you'd be able to get from something like a hairbrush or toothbrush from home,' Figgins said. There are steps to take to make sure you are getting the support you need, Figgins said. Hire a translator: If English is not the first language in the country where someone is missing, make sure you get local help from a translator as 'things can be lost in translation,' he said. 'You need to make sure that the information you're getting is absolutely correct because that will enable you then to act upon the information that you've been given.' Send a person to be a physical presence in the country: If you are able and it is safe to do so, having a physical presence in the country is also a good idea. But he warned sometimes immediate family members can be too close to the situation. 'If you are going to have somebody go out there, make sure that somebody is prepared and capable of dealing with what could potentially be the worst-case scenario and the worst news.' Sending someone to the respective country has the added benefit of putting them in the right time zone, facilitating easier access to information, he added. Get the media involved: 'If it is a case of a missing person, the media have been exceptionally useful in some cases where they can raise awareness,' Figgins said. 'They can get images of the person out on TV, on social media and so on, and that might jog someone's memory as to having seen that person, and that then gives you a time and a date stamp for when they were last seen.' The travel safety expert does not advocate involving media in a kidnapping case, where he encourages letting officials or hostage negotiators do their work, as interference can be detrimental. Use social media: Lastly, it might also be a good idea to post a public message on social media so others who might have information can see it and respond. Helpful things to include in your post include a recent photo of the missing person, their name and where they were last seen or last headed, said Figgins. However, the State Department warns to be careful not to give out too much information in a public message, because identity thieves and scammers might see it and try to take advantage. Things you'd want to leave out of your public post are where your friend or loved one is from and any direct contact information. All enquiries should be directed to police and authorities, rather than family, as scammers could use direct access to the family for financial gain and could, in some cases, demand ransom even if they have no knowledge about the missing person. Above all, if you do suspect that somebody is missing or there is unusual behavior, Figgins said, it's important to act quickly. 'If somebody usually sends messages, or they post on social media daily, and then, for no reason, there's no explanation as to why that suddenly stops – that's a big red flag.' 'If you can't call them, they're not answering, they're not responding to usual channels of communication - that is the time to raise the alarm,' he said. 'Time is of the essence wherever a missing person is involved.'
CNN
05-04-2025
- CNN
A relative or friend is missing abroad. What should you do?
Fear and anxiety over a loved one missing overseas can be compounded by a lack of access to local officials and basic information, as well as time differences or language barriers. But some basic steps can – and should – be taken if you fear someone has been caught up in a disaster or gone missing. Here's where to start: The US Department of State recommends discussing plans for staying in touch with friends and relatives before they leave. Agree on how frequently they will be in touch and whether it will be over the phone, via email, or via text. It's advisable to keep their contact information and a copy of their travel itinerary, including flight and hotel information, handy, the State Department says. These details can be vital for officials to use in their search efforts should a disappearance happen. The more information you can provide, the better they may be able to help. In most cases where people are believed to be missing, a change in itinerary and travel to an area without cell signal or internet may be the reason for a falsely raised alarm, travel safety expert Lloyd Figgins told CNN, highlighting the importance of providing updates should travel plans change. If travel plans include a remote destination, bringing equipment like a small satellite communicator that doesn't need internet connectivity to work and may have limited texting capability, is also advisable. 'That will alert people to exactly where you are and what sort of situation you're finding yourself in,' Figgins said. He also recommends downloading the What3Words app onto your phone. The app uses a geocode system to identify any location with a resolution of approximately 3 meters when you open the app – even without internet or cell phone connectivity. Sometimes, American cell phones don't work well overseas. This is especially true when there are lots of calls overwhelming phone services. The State Department recommends texting, which may work better than calling from abroad. Also, try checking on your loved one's social media accounts to see if they have made recent posts. Some social media sites let people 'check in' to say where they are during a crisis. And try contacting your loved one's travel companions and close friends, as well as their tour operator, hotel, school, or any organization with which they are working. 'Particularly if they're traveling with a friend or another family member, if you can get hold of them, or if they have spoken to friends or other family members, gather information from them as quickly as you can about where they were going, who they were with, where they were planning on traveling to next,' Figgins said. 'Any details you can get from people that might have seen them or might have been with them is really key to get as quickly as possible.' If you've reached out to your US citizen relative or friend with no response, the first thing Figgins recommends is notifying the police, both in the location where they were last known to be or where you think they're missing. Each US Embassy and Consulate has local emergency numbers on their websites. Your local police department may also be able to notify the police in the location of the missing person through Interpol, Figgins said. 'A lot of people think that they need to wait 24 hours to raise the alarm. That is not the case, he said. 'If you are genuinely concerned, do not wait 24 hours, because that 24-hour window is key, particularly in things like abductions … the reality is, if someone is in danger, we need to get to them as quickly as possible.' Figgins also recommends contacting the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services office in Washington, DC, or nearest US Embassy or Consulate. State Department officials can ask authorities abroad for help and check for reports of a US citizen who has been hospitalized, arrested, or is unable to contact those looking for them. The Overseas Citizens Services office can be contacted at 1-888-407-4747. To assist officials, it's important to establish if your friend or loved one has any medical conditions. 'If they have a pre-existing medical condition, they could have had a medical episode. Therefore, you'll need to check with local hospitals, clinics and so on,' Figgins said. Another thing to do from home is to provide officials with a recent photograph of the person who is missing, taking care that the photo closely resembles what they currently look like. 'If it is looking like the worst-case scenario, you might be asked by the police to provide a DNA sample from that person, and that you'd be able to get from something like a hairbrush or toothbrush from home,' Figgins said. There are steps to take to make sure you are getting the support you need, Figgins said. Hire a translator: If English is not the first language in the country where someone is missing, make sure you get local help from a translator as 'things can be lost in translation,' he said. 'You need to make sure that the information you're getting is absolutely correct because that will enable you then to act upon the information that you've been given.' Send a person to be a physical presence in the country: If you are able and it is safe to do so, having a physical presence in the country is also a good idea. But he warned sometimes immediate family members can be too close to the situation. 'If you are going to have somebody go out there, make sure that somebody is prepared and capable of dealing with what could potentially be the worst-case scenario and the worst news.' Sending someone to the respective country has the added benefit of putting them in the right time zone, facilitating easier access to information, he added. Get the media involved: 'If it is a case of a missing person, the media have been exceptionally useful in some cases where they can raise awareness,' Figgins said. 'They can get images of the person out on TV, on social media and so on, and that might jog someone's memory as to having seen that person, and that then gives you a time and a date stamp for when they were last seen.' The travel safety expert does not advocate involving media in a kidnapping case, where he encourages letting officials or hostage negotiators do their work, as interference can be detrimental. Use social media: Lastly, it might also be a good idea to post a public message on social media so others who might have information can see it and respond. Helpful things to include in your post include a recent photo of the missing person, their name and where they were last seen or last headed, said Figgins. However, the State Department warns to be careful not to give out too much information in a public message, because identity thieves and scammers might see it and try to take advantage. Things you'd want to leave out of your public post are where your friend or loved one is from and any direct contact information. All enquiries should be directed to police and authorities, rather than family, as scammers could use direct access to the family for financial gain and could, in some cases, demand ransom even if they have no knowledge about the missing person. Above all, if you do suspect that somebody is missing or there is unusual behavior, Figgins said, it's important to act quickly. 'If somebody usually sends messages, or they post on social media daily, and then, for no reason, there's no explanation as to why that suddenly stops – that's a big red flag.' 'If you can't call them, they're not answering, they're not responding to usual channels of communication - that is the time to raise the alarm,' he said. 'Time is of the essence wherever a missing person is involved.'
