NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Getting to an emergency quickly is the goal of most first responders, but homes can sometimes be hard to find. One retired first responder from Middle Tennessee is trying to bridge that gap and help with response time.
"That call has stuck with me. It kind of haunted me," said Johnathan Harrison, CEO of The Locator 911.
In 2009, Harrison said a call came into his unit for a 2-year-old child in cardiac arrest.
"They dispatched us to a road that I was familiar with, but I also knew the addresses were notorious for being out of order," explained Harrison.
His crews tried their best to find the home. However, they were 4 minutes past their planned arrival time when they finally arrived.
"The mother was a single mother, and she was doing CPR on her 2-year-old," he said. "The only thing she could think to say is that they were the third on end."
Unfortunately, the child didn't make it. But, that moment was when he knew something had to change. So, he reached out to his friend, Danny Cupples, with an idea.
"Even in today's world with the on-dash navigation that we have, the technology that's there, we still have trouble finding a house," Cupples said.
They launched The Locator 911, a smart LED light bulb. Since the launch, it has spread to 19 states across the U.S.
"When you call 9-1-1, you just touch the app," said Cupples. "You dial 911. As soon as you hit dial, it turns the light on the porch into that strobing beacon."
They hope this beacon will light the way for other first responders.
"If they had the locator 911 back then, we would have had those 4 minutes back," said Harrison.
For more on The Locator 911, click here.
