It started when Josh Sookman’s mother felt a pain in her shoulder. Worried she was having a heart attack, she called 911 but received a less than prompt response.
Sookman, the CEO of Guardly — a mobile personal safety service company — responded by launching an app Jan. 19, which will connect Carleton students with campus security in the event of an emergency.
The app allows students to turn their smartphone into an emergency call box, Sookman said. If the student isn’t on campus, the app will act as a conference call linking students to up to 15 pre-set emergency contacts.
First-time users will be prompted by the app to input at least one emergency contact, he said.
The idea for the app was in the works as early as 2010, but it wasn’t until Sookman launched Guardly last April that development really took off, he said.
Developers worked in a mobile incubator at OCAD University in Toronto, Sookman said. The transition into schools and campuses came after he noticed the emergency call boxes around campus – their limitations were clear.
“You have to stay in one place,” Sookman said. “If you’re having an emergency, you don’t want to stick around. You’re probably running somewhere.”
With the app, students can call security from wherever they are. Guardly can track the user’s location through the phone’s GPS to see if they are on the campus. If the user is on campus, the app contacts campus security. If the user is off-campus, the app conference-calls the emergency contacts. In extreme situations, it will even call the police. Users can also text, in case they are in a situation where they can’t talk.
“With Virginia Tech, people wanted to text 911 or campus security, but that wasn’t available,” Sookman said. “Now, you can.”
The app is free for staff, students and faculty at 67 universities and colleges across Canada, according to a Guardly press release.
It’s the first time the company has launched a product at a school. However, with many sexual and violent assaults happening on campuses, this app is important for students, Sookman said.
By allowing people to report crimes instantly, and from any location, Sookman said the app will hopefully create campuses where people look out for each other.
Knowing that people could be watching and reporting anytime, anywhere, could potentially frighten would-be aggressors, Sookman said.
While the app is currently unsponsored, he said he hopes campus security groups will adopt the system.
“It was a natural evolution of our technology, to enable a service like this for students,” he said in the press release.
