OPINION: You might not be as safe as you think

Feb. 10, 2023  |  By Bryce Douglass 

You probably have heard of Medical Alert “We communicate your critical medical information to first responders and contact your loved ones in an emergency.” 

Have you heard of RapidSOS? “If you find yourself in an unsafe moment or an emergency, RapidSOS Ready apps, devices and sensors put essential information like location, medical details, car crash severity and more, directly into the hands of a first responder.” 

If you have a medical condition you might find comfort in these words. Turns out both these products struggle to keep up with their promises.

I spoke with Medical Alert Support, EMTs, Rapid SOS, and the Vermont Emergency Commander Officer and they have given me conflicting responses on how the systems operate. 

I have worn a Medic Alert tag all my life due to severe heart defects. I always thought that an EMT would look for my Alert tag and call the number that’s on the back of the tag. Then they would be connected to Medic Alert who will give all the information I have in my online account which is important for treating me in an emergency. It turns out when I spoke with Medic Alert I was told that even though their website says they are supposed to provide training for emergency responders they in fact do not. One of the EMTs I have spoken with told me they only occasionally check for the tags and another couple I talked to said they don’t check at all and don’t have time to do so. 

Medic Alert from my understanding pays a fee to have those who have a Medic Alert Tag or Bracelet to be in the RapidSOS system. Their website states that access to them is free for First Responders and EMTs. Those in the Medic Alert database are supposed to be flagged in the emergency systems. What this means is that if someone calls 911 and gives the patient's name their name is supposed to show up telling the dispatchers if the person has Medic Alert or not. If they do have it, it’s supposed to provide them with the details of their medical condition and how to treat them. This is supposed to replace the need for an EMT to call Medic Alert. 

It turns out that when I heard from a RapidSOS Representative, Vermont and a few other states don’t have the system implemented even though Medic Alert advertises that all emergency systems have access and the system was being implemented in 2019. The Vermont Emergency Commander Officer I spoke with was told the 911 dispatching units haven’t seen it show up. I believe he is meaning Medic Alert hasn’t shown up. The Director of the Vermont EMS I spoke with had never heard of RapidSOS.

As you can see, you might not be as safe as you thought you were. Medic Alert Foundation advertises and charges for a sense of security that isn’t always valid. Although RapidSOS says that it’s available in all states, my research and the responses that I’ve gotten indicate this is not always the case. 

Bryce Douglass lives in Moretown.