Do you have a current first aid certificate and a phone?

Nic from Central Whangarei

There's a great system called GoodSAM (www.goodsamapp.org...) which works on android, IOS, and just a normal feature phone (ie. a dumb phone). I've been using it for about a month, and it's one of the more sensible uses of technology I've seen in some time.

Once you register with GoodSAM (which requires you to send a copy of your first aid certificate so that they can confirm it's valid), you just get on with your life as normal, and they track you through your phone.

When someone near you calls an ambulance, you get an alert on your phone. If you accept the alert, you are given directions to the casualty, and you help them until the ambulance gets there. If two people accept the alert, the first one gets directions to the casualty, and the second gets directions to the nearest defibrillator, and then to the casualty.

There are very few people (five, so far) registered in and around Whangarei. Obviously, the system will be more useful if more people register. I've had two alerts so far, and the ambulance beat me to the scene both times, which I find quite reassuring.

Other than being a registered user of the app, I have no direct link with the organisation, but I would like to see it succeed as I think it's a great idea.

If you're nervous about the idea of actually having to use your first aid, remember that you'll probably only be there for a few minutes before the ambulance arrives, and the first few minutes can be the difference between someone surviving and dying. Please, if you've got a certificate, consider registering - you might be able to help someone.