Stranded in UAE desert? Rescue chopper is a button away
abu dhabi — If you are stranded in the middle of the desert or stuck in the mountainous areas, help is now just a button away. National Search and Rescue Centre (NSRC) has launched NSRC UAE, an app with SOS service, the first-of-itskind app in the region. A person in distress needs to just press the button and a rescue chopper or police will be there in minutes.
“The app is basically an example of how technology can be used in search and rescue operations,” Hoor Saeed Abushubs Shebs, project manager of the app, NSRC, told Khaleej Times.
After downloading the app, one needs to sign up with details like name, email ID, phone number and national ID number. Whenever going on a trip, the user should register details of the destination of the journey, route, starting and end date and time of journey.
“Information will be saved with the NSRC operations team. In case any emergency happens, the person can just press SOS button on the main screen of the app. The operations team will be alerted and as per requirement of the situation, a helicopter is sent or we coordinate with the police. With this app, we want to cut time in sending help out. Once we know the details of place, number of people and such things in advance, we will be better prepared to handle that situation,” she said and urged users to feed data a day ahead of their actual journey.
The app has other services like ‘awareness’ — a reminder about maritime safety, essentials, etc.
“Even when someone is in the middle of a road and car runs out of fuel, they can reach us.”