Brighton encourages residents to download the potentially ‘lifesaving’ what3words app for mobile devices

When the massive recent snowstorm closed Highway 401 and deserted some drivers on unplowed roads in Brighton and area, three words would have been useful to first responders.

During the Dec. 22 to 25, 2022 storm that blasted through Northumberland County, emergency services were involved in several calls to accidents where locating people was difficult, the Municipality of Brighton said. As a result, the municipality is asking residents to consider installing the free what3words app on their mobile devices.

“Three words may prove to be lifesaving” when it comes to directing first responders to a resident’s location in an emergency, the municipality noted. The what3words app uses a grid-based address system and can help first responders pinpoint a caller’s exact location and reach them with minimal delay.

During the holiday storm, emergency services used equipment to search car-by-car to ensure that stranded travelers were able to be brought to one of the emergency shelters that opened across Northumberland, said Municipality of Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander.

“Some stranded travelers were difficult to find because of low visibility,” Ostrander said.

“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries nor any fatalities in our area because of the storm.

“Emergency services highly recommend downloading the what3words app to your mobile device. This app will help rescue personnel locate you within one meter anywhere on the planet should you become stranded during times of low visibility or if you are in a remote location — I now have it on my phone, just in case,” the mayor added.

what3words is being adopted by emergency services worldwide as a tool to dispatch first responders to the precise location of a caller in need of help. Every three-meter square on earth has been given a unique combination of three words, and a what3words address never changes. For example, “plopped.legions.dogged” will always land a person at Presqu’ile Point Lighthouse in Brighton.

The app works both online and off-line, with the offline functionality making it ideal for use in rural areas that might have a poor internet connection, such as remote nature areas that are enjoyed by hikers and tourists, the municipality noted. All the app requires to display a what3words address is a GPS signal, with a phone’s location services switched on and a clear line of sight to the sky for a GPS lock.

The what3words app can be downloaded from app stores for iOS and Android.

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