In a medical emergency, precious moments can mean the difference between life and death. According to the FCC, saving just one minute in emergencies would save up to 10,000 lives per year.

Perhaps that is why mobile personal emergency response systems (mPERS) are poised to become one of the fastest-growing markets in North America and to spread outward globally.¹ The global PERS market is estimated to reach US$ 11.1 billion by 2025.² Research firm Global Industry Analysts attributes that growth to aging populations and the increase in community-centered and in-home healthcare. The firm says the US will remain the largest market for services, most likely because of the greater involvement in that market of health insurance providers.³ But, the appeal of mPERS extends well beyond older generations. Increasingly, digital natives – those who account for younger and more active sectors of the population, recognize the benefits of mobile emergency response systems for themselves and their families.

However, as more people rely on mPERS, 911, EMS and other emergency response systems are overwhelmed and underfunded – and that trend is heading in the wrong direction. Compounding the challenge, recruiting new officers is becoming more difficult. As a result, more 911 calls are placed on hold and transferred multiple times and 911 operators are too often left to try to decide which are real emergencies and which are non-life-threatening.

A recent article in Philadelphia’s Billypenn.com highlights the struggles associated with worker shortages among emergency dispatchers. According to the article, “The radio room of the Philadelphia Police Department, inside the headquarters at 8th and Race streets, faces near-daily staff shortages. Absences are driven by burnout, COVID-fueled illness, and sky-high turnover, according to nearly a dozen current and former dispatchers…”⁴

But the current mPERS products offered in the marketplace often rely on help buttons rather than integrated smartphone software and generally rely on making connections directly to the 911 system that is unable to cope with the volume of calls.

emCall represents the new standard in Mobile Personal Emergency Response. emCall is the patented mobile personal emergency response system that is with you wherever you go. When you triple-tap the emCall app, our highly trained private alarm operator knows you need help. You will never be put on hold or placed in a voice tree. And, because the operator already knows if you need medical or police help, they can immediately initiate the proper response protocol.

Two things make emCall more secure for you and more useful for emergency responders, enabling them to provide the help you need.

1. emCall uses our patented medical information transfer screen (MITS). Here’s how it works: When you set up your profile, you choose the medical information to enter – health conditions, doctors, preferred hospital, prescriptions, DNR requests, etc. That information is never stored on your phone. It goes directly to secure servers. When you send a medical alarm, we transmit this information back to you, creating a MITS screen on your phone. This screen gives the responders a big head start to resolve most medical alerts. And it disappears after one hour, so your personal information stays safe.

2. emCall doesn’t connect you to the overloaded, understaffed and underfunded 911 system, where you might end up on hold or simply trigger a police response – even if what you need is medical help. We transmit your alert directly to one of the country’s top alarm monitoring centers. The center is staffed by professionals who have been trained to personally assist you, and they have direct access to emergency services across the country. They will answer your call within seconds and can continuously track your location until help arrives.

emCall Medical Alert PERS with Panic Alarm is the only technology that combines all the aspects of a wearable medical alert with the ease of smartphone technology and the personal information that can make the difference between life and death.

There is no other technology on the market that puts consumers three taps away from receiving the medical and/or police attention they need anywhere in the United States.

Choosing emCall instead of dialing 911 will alleviate congestion on the 911 network, allowing first responders to get started more quickly. And using emCall provides the potential to increase the success rate for emergency medical professionals to save lives and provide quality care.

Let’s all do our part to support our first responders and take control of our own health outcomes.