BOSTON -
Nowadays there seems to be a smart phone app for everything, but now there's one that could potentially save your life. The American Red Cross has launched its first, First Aid application.
Like most app's, the First Aid application is free and easy to use. And because the unexpected so often happens, it offers step by step instructions on how to get through emergency situations.
The American Red Cross is known worldwide for teaching First Aid and preparedness, but now, the age old organization has a plan to keep up with the times; a smart phone application that puts critical first aid information right at your fingertips.
"The information available on this app is potentially life saving information," Doug Bishop of the American Red Cross said.
The app has a list of possible emergencies, broken bones, cuts, burns and more, and then gives you step by step instructions on what to do.
"It covers everything from what to do if someone's having an allergic reaction, a heart attack, bleeding, about 20 different areas for first aid," Bishop added.
Doug Bishop works for the American Red Cross in Burlington, he's educating his son Ian about the recent collaboration of modern technology and first aid. He's learning that the app isn't just helpful in emergency situations, but that it can also be used as a learning tool. There are online quizzes and short videos that can shake some medical myths.
I asked Ian to tell me something that he learned from one of the tests that kind of surprised him. He answered, "Two things actually about burns, you actually cover them with plastic wrap after you soak them under water for ten minutes."
So because emergencies happen, "You could be at a playground with family members and someone takes a fall and they hit their head, what do you want to do if they have a head injury?" Bishop questioned. Smart phone users can now have expert advice sitting in the palm of their hands. But Bishop says the app isn't a substitute for training.
"We don't want people to use this as a replacement to get training, we still want people to sign up for first aid and CPR classes," Bishop said.
The smart phone application also has disaster preparedness information and a checklist on what to pack if severe weather strikes.
