KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A new app aims to make it easier for medical helicopters in southwest Michigan to find the scenes to which they are summoned.
Kalamazoo-based West Michigan Air Care announced Wednesday it is rolling out the Metro Alert app soon. The app will send the exact location of an emergency to flight dispatch in seconds, limiting chances for confusion and cutting out wasted time.
In January, the Oakfield Township fire chief told 24 Hour News 8 that a software glitch apparently caused Aero Med to fly to the wrong area. That was why the medical helicopter never made it to the scene of a crash on M-57 in northeastern Kent County that killed U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joel Kinsey, 20, and his father Jerry Kinsey.
The new Metro Alert app aims to prevent incidents like that.
"It certainly can add up to minutes in our response time if we don't have the location correct or we're a number of miles off," Air Care flight nurse Wesley Brubaker showed 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday.
When there's an emergency, responders on the ground will press two buttons to alert West Michigan Air Care's flight dispatch. They're immediately put on standby to prepare helicopter and staff. Then they receive the exact GPS location and coordinates.
FULL STORY: WOOD TV