A Competitor Comparison That Could Save Your Loved One’s Life
On Sunday morning, officers from the State Police spotted a hat, then a cane. They carried no electronic equipment, just a few hunches and their instincts. A few yards away, 89-year-old Alzheimer’s patient Reatice Fultz lay in a briar patch, parched and weak but sustained by a diet of wild berries. He was rescued less than a mile from his home. As Louis Hansen of The Virginian-Pilot reports, it took over 40 hours to find him.
Due to a clerical error, rescue workers in the Fultz operation were searching for the incorrect frequency. Due to the inherent unreliability of RF technology—while Fultz suffered mere yards from his home—rescue workers lugged equipment through a 15-mile radius, searching by foot, vehicle, helicopter and plane, their only hope of recovery resting on the chance they would accidentally point the electronic receiver in Fultz’s direction.
The EmFinders EmSeeQ: More Reliable than RF or GPS
Our EmSeeQ device is not susceptible to the same challenges faced by other technologies. Rather than RF or GPS, the EmSeeQ relies on the existing, proven assets of the national cellular network combined with E-9-1-1.
What’s Wrong With Radio Frequency (RF) Search and Rescue?
LoJack’s SafetyNet is probably the most well-known RF technology, which involves the use of a transmitter combined with a bulky electronic receiver. When a person goes missing, rescuers must know a starting point from which to begin a concentric search pattern, meticulously aiming the receiver in the direction in which they hope the missing person has gone in order to pick up the transmitter’s specific frequency.
Not only must law enforcement agencies make expensive investments in special equipment, extensive training and monthly maintenance, they must contend with the fact that RF technology often simply doesn’t work. The range of the solution limited, and is typically less than 2 miles. Different frequencies in different areas can send rescuers after the wrong signal, or worse, cause them to ignore the right one.
Are Global Positioning System (GPS) Devices Any Better?
GPS devices are only slightly better than RF devices, but come with their own set of flaws. Still an expensive investment for caregivers, GPS devices require a clear view to multiple satellites in order to function. Therefore GPS will not locate a device holder inside buildings, deeply wooded areas or even outdoors among tall buildings. On top of that, GPS will work only if the device remains with the individual and most GPS devices on today’s markets cannot be worn since they radiate FCC unapproved levels of heat. And, like RF technology, GPS still does not tie to the existing E-9-1-1 network.
The EmSeeQ Brings Superior Technology at Smarter Pricing
With the EmFinders EmSeeQ, law enforcement agencies make no prohibitive investment in equipment, manpower or training. Relying on the same U-TDOA technology that provides nationwide coverage for 97% of the population, the EmSeeQ uses triangulation to provide rescue officials with a remarkably accurate location without depending on a clear view of the sky or directional frequencies. Caregivers simply place a call to E-9-1-1 and then contact the EmFinders Customer Service Center. In this manner, the EmSeeQ device aids rescue workers in a phenomenal recovery time of less than 30 minutes on average.
The Integrity Factor
As important as it is, technology is not the end-all, be-all in this comparison.
EmFinders is on a mission, and that mission is to save lives. Period. We are as meticulous about our service and support levels as we are about our technology. We are passionate about protecting your loved ones, and it’s that simple, unrelenting passion that makes our EmSeeQ far more of a lifesaver than any other system on the market.
Source: “Public safety agencies say tracking system faulty.” Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot, Sep 27, 2009
