St Johns Ambulance backs Red Button's emergency comms system

Stuart Corner
Friday, 09 September 2011 12:52

Your IT - Home IT

Adelaide-based startup, Red Button Technologies' emergency calling system, Assure Connect, has received a significant boost, with St John's Ambulance backing and promoting the service

The service, Assure Connect, works with any fixed line or mobile phone and is designed to enable a person in distress to contact friends or relatives and if necessary create a three way conversation with the 000 operator.  It was launched in September 2010.

The service uses an application hosted on Red Button servers such that, when the person in distress presses the '5' key on their dialpad, calls are placed simultaneously to up to nine predetermined numbers. The first to answer is connected to the caller. The Triple Zero operator can be added as a conference call by pressing the zero key during the conversation. The friend or relative can then provide instructions to emergency services and assist the caller.

The only set up required is to program the '5' key to call Red Button's 1300 number, and ensure that caller ID is enabled on the phone.

"This dramatically improves the chances of reaching a friend or relative on the first attempt - and increases the speed of response," Red Button said. The service costs $9.90 per month, without a contract, plus call charges. Customers who order the service through St Johns get a 10 percent discount. There is also a premium service at $12.90 per month, and additional callers can share the same calling group for an additional $4.40 per month each.

"We were impressed by the capabilities of Assure Connect and saw it as a good fit with the St John's charter to help people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger" said Sharyn Mitten, St John (SA) CEO. "There are many personal emergency systems available but very few that operate outside of the home and most have relatively high up-front costs for purchase and installation" Mitten added.

"Utilising friends and family as the first point of contact for the system does two things; it encourages people who become distressed to call for assistance earlier and secondly it enhances people's independence knowing that they can quickly get help."

Red Button was formed in 2006 through a partnership between telecommunications expert professor Reg Coutts and technology specialist marketer Justin Wearne. Assure Connect is the first service developed on what Red Button calls its 'Connectivity Server."

Coutts told ExchangeDaily a year ago that Red Button's Connectivity Server technology presaged a trend toward developing new products off-network on an "agile product development platform."

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