Can you imagine a situation at sea where you could urgently need the assistance of another boater nearby? The first that come to mind are engine failure, sail damage, lost anchor, sting injuries, man overboard, shipwrecked, a search for a protected anchorage, lack of food or water. There are countless situations, ranging from everyday problems to life-threatening incidents.
Sailing in to save the day is an innovative project, Heroes Nearby. Just launched, it's a one-stop solution for all of the above problems. The Heroes Nearby mobile application connects people who need help with local community Heroes (individual sailors, skippers, members of naval services and organizations). Each user of the application can also be a Hero for the sailing community, as well as for their family and friends. Underlying the project is the idea to promote and foster universal human values, building stronger communities who care.
As an example, charter companies could join in and collaborate to create a security network for their guests, as well as for the entire community at sea and on the coast. Just signing up as a Hero organization and verifying several of its members and their guests as Heroes, would create a network of helpful people and a channel through which to call for help. Both time and money would be saved in many cases. Many charter companies already work well together and this is a tool for even better collaboration and communication benefitting the guests and the whole community.
Heroes Nearby promotes the organizations involved as Heroes. In addition to the visibility within the application itself and promotion on social media, organizations are also publicly promoted on the project website as guardians of the area they operate.
In emergencies, the first seconds and minutes are extremely important, and this mobile application increases the chances of getting help quickly from the people who are closest to the scene. Within the app, the user can see Heroes on the map and invite the closest ones to help. The application has real-time tracking and charts the route on the map. For the entire duration of the SOS call, the caller can send audio, video, and image files to the Heroes, which can be crucial both during and after the call, as a record of everything that happened.
The SOS call can be sent via SMS and email to selected contacts, who will see the details of the call and the map. Also, the SOS call details can be shared on Facebook. In addition to the Heroes nearby, the caller can invite their closest friends and family members who will get the call wherever they are. The user can prepare templates for different situations and scenarios in advance, select the level of danger (from potential to life-threatening), alarm volume and many other functions.
An additional useful function is sending a call as a witness, as an incident report, where Heroes receiving the call know that the caller is not personally in danger but is witnessing an event.
There is another quick way to call for help. The Heroes Nearby application can be connected wirelessly (Bluetooth) with a smart SOS button so you can send a one-touch call without having to find your phone or open the application. The button can be attached to clothes, bags or in the boat, car or home.
Join as a Hero, user, or both!
For the Heroes the app is free and will always be. Users can choose between free and premium versions of the app, but also can get up to 6 months of premium membership for free on sign up.
More details about the project and mobile application can be found on the official website. The mobile app is available on Google Play and the Apple Store.
