St Johns Ambulance backs Red Button's emergency comms system

Adelaide-based startup, Red Button Technologies' emergency calling system, Assure Connect, has received a significant boost, with St John's Ambulance backing and promoting the service

The service uses an application hosted on Red Button servers such that, when the person in distress presses the '5' key on their dialpad, calls are placed simultaneously to up to nine predetermined numbers. The first to answer is connected to the caller. The Triple Zero operator can be added as a conference call by pressing the zero key while the conversation. The friend or relative can at the time provide instructions to emergency services and assist the caller.

The only set up required is to program the '5' key to call Red Button's 1300 number, and ensure that caller ID is enabled on the phone.

"This dramatically improves the chances of reaching a friend or relative on the first attempt - and increases the speed of response," Red Button said. The service costs $9.90 per month, without a contract, plus call charges. Clients who order the service through St Johns get a 10 percent discount. There is as well a premium service at $12.90 per month, and additional callers can share the same calling group for an additional $4.40 per month each.

Red Button was formed in 2006 through a partnership between telecommunications expert professor Reg Coutts and research specialist marketer Justin Wearne. Assure Connect is the first service developed on what Red Button calls its 'Connectivity Server."

Coutts told ExchangeDaily a year ago that Red Button's Connectivity Server research presaged a trend toward developing new products off-network on an "agile product development platform."