BajaNomad

ExPat911

pauldavidmena - 9-9-2018 at 08:11 AM

The Baja Western Onion recently advertised a smart phone app called ExPat911. Is anyone familiar with it? It's intriguing to me because my "perpetual beginner" Spanish might not be enough for me to communicate effectively during an emergency. I'd be curious to learn how other expats have managed.

Alm - 9-9-2018 at 12:10 PM

Ah, it's like that assistance line that they advertise on TV - you collapse in the bathroom, push the button and modern ambulance magically appears within minutes.

Few questions immediately come to mind:
Let's say it sends email or text to ambulance service - which one and where to? From what I hear, hospitals can be ambulance-specific and gringos can be picky, some want to go private system and some - public.

Also, how well the network and GPS sensors will tell your exact location, and what good are Lat/Lon coordinates when you are on the 2nd or 3rd or 10th floor at some place?

Nothing will replace live communication - yes, in Spanish, unfortunately.

pauldavidmena - 9-9-2018 at 12:46 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Ah, it's like that assistance line that they advertise on TV - you collapse in the bathroom, push the button and modern ambulance magically appears within minutes.

Few questions immediately come to mind:
Let's say it sends email or text to ambulance service - which one and where to? From what I hear, hospitals can be ambulance-specific and gringos can be picky, some want to go private system and some - public.

Also, how well the network and GPS sensors will tell your exact location, and what good are Lat/Lon coordinates when you are on the 2nd or 3rd or 10th floor at some place?

Nothing will replace live communication - yes, in Spanish, unfortunately.


I agree that there's no substitute for learning the language, not to mention the local customs, different options for care, etc. I can communicate in Spanish if the conversation goes as scripted in my head, but I still get thrown beyond that. As for studying, vocabulary and grammar only go so far - I'm due for a healthy dose of immersion.

SFandH - 9-9-2018 at 01:02 PM

The website says: "After your emergency has been reported to 911, we will immediately start calling your contacts as well."

So, it looks like the service provides an English speaker you can talk to and then they call 911. In addition, they'll contact folks you have listed with them.

They'll also communicate your lat/long data, if available, to Mex 911. Hopefully they'll have google maps available to translate into a location.

I suppose how well Mex 911 works depends upon where you are. It might be best to know where the closest emergency services are and have plans to get there yourself, with assistance if needed. I can't imagine being in an emergency situation and wondering if/when 911 is going to show up.

[Edited on 9-9-2018 by SFandH]

Alm - 9-9-2018 at 01:20 PM

This app inventor is onto something, under physical or mental stress a good chunk of your Spanish disappears into thin air. I'm just being skeptical about Baja emergency services. Spanish immersion is hard to find, locals are busy all day.

pauldavidmena - 9-9-2018 at 01:36 PM

I rehearse Spanish conversations so that I can order a meal at a restaurant, ask about a price while shopping, etc. In Todos Santos I've found local residents very patient and helpful when I try to struggle to find the right word. I still remember the comic relief I provided at one colmeda when I tried to find chicken stock and asked for "jugo de pollo".

Alm - 9-9-2018 at 03:17 PM

I would probably ask for "sopa de pollo sin pasta, sin nada" :). Jugo somehow doesn't sound right. At least they don't go overboard trying to be neutral and politically correct to the point of absurdness. Mexicans smile and correct me when I use the wrong word.

Back to this app. Description is sketchy. "After your emergency has been reported to 911" - this could mean few different things. Passively relaying a distress signal with coordinates to local ambulance, and then - Que sera, sera. Something like what Spot does. Or indeed providing an interpreter.

There is no large government ambulance network in Mexico. I am trying to recall certain buzz on gringo boards about Cruz Roja not taking you to public hospital - or to private, don't remember. Or they only take you to Cruz Roja hospitals (there are CR hospitals in Baja, very few).

hermosok123 - 9-9-2018 at 04:18 PM

Is this service cell phone dependent? That limits you right there if that's the case. Maybe an option in mainland or urban settings. Mile after many miles without signal here in Baja. As far as language skills maybe carry a card with the terms for directions and simple terms that would save your life. Kinda silly to not be able to tell ems or anyone where you are located and what kind of car you have. No linguistic talent needed there. Think "vial of life" that folks keep on their fridges at home form ems access. Maybe carry one of those in Spanish for local ems. Cant get the lingo then get a Spot or InReach.

Alm - 9-9-2018 at 06:41 PM

A lot of good a chit-sheet with terms will do you when there is nobody to listen :). There were complaints - on the mainland - EMS hanging up when you speak "un poco Espanol". I guess they are same busy as all other govt underfunded services.

The actual 911/066 carriers should be taken with a grain of salt. You call, they answer, you wait, nobody comes. You crawl to Cruz Roja or your friend runs up there to find out that they are happy to help, only there is no gas in their car and no money to buy it. This service exists on donations.

jbmw002 - 10-11-2018 at 12:53 PM

I helped develop the technology for Expat911, and happened to be searching on Google to see things that were posted about us. So I decided to respond to the concerns here.

Nothing is automated. Once a user sends us an alert, our emergency operators call the user. This is to verify the emergency and ask for specific preferences. The operators will ask if you have a specific insurance or hospital of preference. Many of our users have Cruz Roja or Seguro Popular and so we accommodate that in our call to Mexico's 911. If for any reason you do not answer, then this will be considered an extreme emergency and you will be transported to the nearest hospital.

Once the emergency has been reported, we will then contact up to 3 contacts. 1 can be US/Canada and the other 2 are local numbers. They can be neighbors (can come to help before emergency services arrive), a local doctor that speaks English or family and loved ones.

Our GPS is spot on within 5 meters. It is compatible with Google maps and our operators are fluent in English and Spanish. However, your profile has basic personal information. So if you are at home, your home address is listed there. If you are in a place where you are not familiar with your surrounding, then GPS is huge. Mexico's 911 does not even use GPS. They actually asked us to open this up to Mexican Nationals as well. Why? Because even a Mexican in an unfamiliar area would not be able to explain the streets where they are located.

Someone also mentioned needing cell phone service. Of course you need cell phone service. You could not call Mexico's 911 directly without cell phone service either. This is an issue in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Anyway, I wanted to answer some of those questions. I assumed that you would like to hear the real answers from someone associated with the project and not assumptions which I saw quite a few here.

I also wanted to mention something regarding the last comment from Alm. We worked directly with C4 who handles 911 calls in Mexico while developing this app. We were given special access to their directory for all C4 and C5i offices in Mexico. This means that our operators do not just call 911 and hope someone answers or wait on a line. We have direct numbers and call the local office nearest to your emergency. This is another big plus when working with us.

We are also partnering with SkyMed shortly. They will begin offering our services during their seminars and when new clients are purchasing plans with them. You will be able to get a 25% off discount code if you are a SkyMed member when signing up for Expat911. This should be available in 1 week. Our partnership is important because current SkyMed members must call the ambulance and then call SkyMed so that they come to the hospital to stabilize you and send you to the US. We will now be working directly with them and calling the ambulance on your behalf and then contacting SkyMed for you.

If anyone has any questions, you can email me directly at info@expat911.mx. My name is John Adam, and I would be more than happy to assist you and guide you in the right direction.

[Edited on 10-11-2018 by jbmw002]

Alm - 10-11-2018 at 08:05 PM

I see. It's like a 1-800 English language emergency line in San Miguel de Allende, only for pay and needs a cell phone - not just any phone :)

Baja emergency service sucks. Say, English-speaking operator calls Cruz Roja, and one of 2 cars in Sta Rosalia is broken and another one is out on the call or out of gas... You got the picture. Maybe this is different on the mainland. Well, at least they will speak English...

gnukid - 10-12-2018 at 11:15 AM

In every legal case in Mexico a translator is your right, most emergency services have designated english speakers ready, though certainly in the field (careterra) there is a delay to getting in touch with an English speaker. When you are in an accident or dealing with corrupt officials, or people making false accusations as happens, it's unlikely the accusers are going to engage with a cell phone translator. More so, English speaking translators don't understand the nuance of each pueblo, or the law, unless they are truly experts which is unlikely.

So, while it seems like a nice feature, I can't see it being of any help to people who really need help in the moment.

Here's a suggestion, when you travel, meet people and write down their phone and contact info, so if you have a problem you have a nearby contact. Keep a diary of where you are and who you met, it will come in handy at some point. I can not understand why people travel to Baja and have not one contact noted down whom they can call for assistance.

In advance of your trip, make a list of contacts, hospitals, tow services, emergency numbers, have a plan of action for each place you go, have all you paperwork (or copies) in a sealed plastic bag so you grab it if needed in an emergency.

[Edited on 10-12-2018 by gnukid]

Alm - 10-12-2018 at 02:16 PM

Lencho - no, I don't think there are official (govt funded, whatever) English speaking 911 operators anywhere but SMA. That 1-800 service in SMA is based somewhere near Leon, they speak English and Japanese.

Ironically, it was in SMA 2 years ago that they found American collapsed in his home - or, rather, they could NOT find him. His friend got worried, called the cops, they came, didn't see anybody inside, didn't allow his friend in, put a yellow tape and left. Few days later the friend went through the yellow tape and found the guy in his bedroom, long dead. 911 - the cops - could not find the guy in his bedroom. No kidding.

jbmw002 - 10-13-2018 at 09:50 AM

In answer to the questions that have come in since then... As for the 1-800 number in Guanajuato which is the C5i office, they do not have GPS coordinates and can still not find you if you cannot explain where you are. So we do have a lot of users in San Miguel de Allende already. It is one of our strongest markets. After that our strongest markets are Los Cabos, Chapala/Ajijic, Puerto Vallarta, San Marcos (Sonora), and we also have lots of snow birds that drive across Mexico during these seasons.

lencho we will help in any way possible. The idea is to give as much information to Mexico's 911 so that there is not much needed when they arrive on the scene. However, if there is any help required, we would take care of it. We would never turn a client away for any reason. The user would just need to ask, and we would always oblige.

gnukid that right of having an English translator is not always guaranteed. Especially during the reporting of the emergency. We have worked directly with many C4 and C5i offices. Some tried to use call centers to handle the expat calls and they didn't work out. Some offer a part time English speaker, but again there is no guarantee that they will be available to you.

I appreciate the skepticism of some here, and it's important to state that this is not for everyone. We have over 1,000,000 registered Expats in Mexico, and there are quite a few who will benefit from our service. This was the reason that we created it. We had heard a lot of horror stories of Expats actually being hung up on when trying to report emergencies because the operator could not understand them.

Please see this story for one that really helps one to understand why we developed this:

https://theguadalajarareporter.net/index.php/news/news/lake-...

This is one of many stories that were brought to our attention. I have lived in Mexico for 15 years and saw a necessity and helped to put it into action. If we can help a few hundred people, then our mission was successful.



[Edited on 10-13-2018 by jbmw002]