The Red Cross launched a first aid app for iOS and Android, which is the first in a series of preparedness apps the organization will roll out this year.
The app is primarily a resource for emergency situations. You can look up what to do if someone around you is bleeding, for example, and follow a list of steps to determine how best to manage the situation.
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"There's a very real time dimension to this," Jack McMaster, Red Cross president for preparedness and health, and safety services, told Mashable. "If someone in front of me is choking I can follow a simple two or three steps."
If a few swipes of the app suggests seeking a professional's assistance -- or if you know from the get-go -- you can dial 911 directly from the app's Emergency button.
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The app's other features teach common first aid procedures, offer quizzes testing your knowledge and share news from the Red Cross.
According to McMaster, the app is not intended for EMTs, doctors, paramedics or nurses, but can provide a great resource for parents or babysitters. It doesn't require an Internet connection, which is a nice utility feature for emergency situations.
"We've reached a new paradigm of communicating and sharing information and we think we're going to see a very measurable impact," McMaster says. "The tricky part is, if you bring information to people well in advance they don't pay attention to it. The book format is left at home on a shelf."
While there are other first aid apps available, the Red Cross app crosses uncharted territory by offering badges for completing tasks, which you can then share with social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
The Red Cross will also be releasing apps for hurricane, earthquake, tornado and flood preparedness.
The free app is available in iTunes and Google Play.
Are mobile apps a good way to resource for emergency situations? Let us know if you'll be downloading the Red Cross's new app.
Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, microgen
This story originally published on Mashable here.
