The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lifesaving phone app launched in Fife to serve rural villages
SALINE: The app directs trained first aiders to medical emergencies and will be used by First Responders
A lifesaving mobile app has been launched in Saline – a village on the Fife and Kinross-shire border.
Mid Scotland Fife MSP Murdo Fraser launched the GoodSAM app, which will now be used by Saline First Responders.
Already used by the East Neuk First Responders at the other end of Fife, the app directs trained first-aiders to medical emergencies.
GoodSAM is a social enterprise, established to work with ambulance and pre-hospital services to enable qualified people in the community to provide lifesaving treatment.
Mr Fraser said the device was already saving lives around the world and he was delighted to launch it in Saline, a village in the heart of the west Fife countryside.
There are 12 trained first aiders in the area who will be on call and ready to respond to emergencies reported via the phone app.
GoodSAM is saving lives around the world and it is great to be able to start providing this service in Saline and west Fife
Saline First Responder Hilary Warnock said: “It was great to welcome Murdo Fraser to Saline to launch the GoodSAM Alerter app and to put him through his paces with a quick tutorial on how to use a defibrillator.
“We have an incredible 12 GoodSAM first responders in the area who are able to offer first aid treatment via the app in emergency situations but this can only happen if we spread the word about the service and get more people downloading the app.
“GoodSAM is saving lives around the world and it is great to be able to start providing this service in Saline and west Fife.”
Mr Fraser added that the GoodSAM application will work separately from the Scottish Ambulance Service’s First Responder system.
“But I believe this app-based technology has the potential to be very useful in emergency situations,” he said.
“Without the hard work and sacrifice of unpaid first aiders in places like Saline, rural Scotland would be less safe and I hope that more people across Fife become aware of the app and its potential to provide lifesaving interventions.
“It was great to meet the team and get a quick tutorial on how to use a defibrillator and some basic first aid which can be used in an emergency situation.”