Top Crop Manager

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Safety app strengthens emergency response for farmers in rural areas

Canadians now have access to a new level of personal emergency assistance and peace of mind, backed by an organization known for its expertise in finding and caring for critically ill and injured patients.

June 17, 2017  By Top Crop Manager


Today STARS publicly released SOLUS, an easy-to-use smartphone app that enables individuals to request and receive 24/7 emergency assistance anywhere in Canada where a cell signal can be received.

SOLUS tracks the user’s location in real time and in an emergent situation will connect him or her with an emergency communications specialist in the STARS Emergency Link Centre. STARS will then notify the user’s pre-defined emergency contacts and will co-ordinate the appropriate level of response within minutes.

While STARS has been monitoring registered sites and lone workers for more than two decades, this is the first time the non-profit is offering its services in a product designed for individuals.

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The app is suitable for anybody who works, travels or plays alone in rural or dangerous environments, where medical assistance may be far away and difficult to connect with. Those who work in agriculture, the resource sectors and professionals who are frequently on the road will find it as useful as casual motorists and recreationalists will.

Other apps exist to monitor individuals on a subscription basis, but SOLUS is unique because of its integration with STARS’ Emergency Link Centre.

An innovative feature of the service is STARS’ Neighbour Helping Neighbour safety network – a voluntary database of farmers, lone workers, industry medics and first responders that populates STARS’ emergency mapping software. These local individuals can potentially be called to a patient’s side as a first line of assistance during an emergency while medical personnel are en route. SOLUS users are encouraged, though not required, to enroll in the program.

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