By DAISY SAMPSON daisy.sampson@theresidentgroup.com
A new system to help the emergency services reach residents across the Algarve has been set up by Dutch resident Mark Rink from Estoi.
The emergency aid organisation (ECDE) uses GPS satellites linked to a database of information provided by member residents to enable emergency service workers to reach residents quickly, while also having extra information provided to them while on the way to the scene.
“People who live in the Algarve know that finding your way along back roads can be quite a challenge as road numbers and street names are often missing,” said Mark Rink.
“Police, fire and ambulance personnel can often find it difficult to locate a destination and if someone is stuck at home with a pain in their chest, they don’t want to waste time trying to explain to the operator how to get to their home, even when there is no language barrier.”
As a resident living in a remote area himself, Mark Rink understood the need for a way to improve communication between the emergency services and those in need, and also saw the benefits of providing extra information that could help in cases.
“It is useful for ambulance staff to have all the important medical information about a resident while racing to the emergency including blood type, allergy information or other medical records information,” he said.
The ECDE (Em Caso de Emergência – In Case of Emergency) organisation was started by Mark Rink to tackle these issues and he called on the expertise of Swiss IT specialist Peter Graf and Portuguese insurance expert Jorge Pereira to help set up the system.
Members, who pay a monthly subscription fee starting at €4.54, provide medical information to ECDE and location details onto the private database which, in the case of an emergency, is then provided to workers who are attending the member along with a road map and GPS coordinates.
This system is provided free to emergency services and members simply state that they are part of the ECDE organisation when they call 112 for the operator to be able to gain access to information. This, in turn, alerts the ECDE call centre who can give additional information.
“We can contact family overseas, deliver onsite care for pets and if necessary stand by the hospital bed to help with translations in six languages,” said Mark Rink.
The ECDE organisation has worked closely with the emergency services INEM in the Algarve and also with the Red Cross, the police, fire fighters and civil protection authorities signing protocols of collaboration to ensure cooperation in the system.
For further information about the ECDE service, please visit www.ecde.org or email info@ecde.org
