New Tech Enhances First Responders Capabilities

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Emergency first responders often lack a standard system that supplies vital information about people who have been in an accident or who are suffering medical emergencies and cannot communicate. Only a handful of states in the US enable their Department of Motor Vehicles to collect emergency contact information, but no one collects medical information, and no one really helps you manage an emergency profile
A new technology, developed by Iconic iD, provides a tool enabling emergency personnel to quickly and easily access vital information such as medical conditions, allergies, and family and healthcare contacts.
The company founder Duane Stafford had worked in state government for about 10 years, where his work included managing a first responder credentialing program for the state that involved issuing identity cards that could be trusted across jurisdictional boundaries.
The company has set up a secure online platform that emergency response agencies can access by searching for an accident victim’s driver’s license, license plate, vehicle identification number or home address. Only those authorized by their department to access it would be able to do so during an emergency. Reminder emails will be sent to users to keep their information up to date.
“This is completely free for first responders,” Stafford said. The company’s revenue model is to partner with insurance companies or health care providers to offer their customers Iconic iD as a supplement or add-on to their other products and services. People who register could upload information so that emergency personnel would have it in case they are incapacitated. The system is designed so that people who register get an electronic notice when their information is accessed, according to richmond.com.
A pilot program is underway, and Stafford’s goal is to build a national network of emergency agencies and partner organizations.