Little-Known App Minnesota First Responders Swear By That You Need

Ever since I was very young, my parents have been involved in a small-town Minnesota volunteer fire department, responding to a variety of emergencies like fires, medical emergencies, rescues, and so on over the years.

Like many others who have grown up in (or live in) households with a first responder, firefighter, or law enforcement officer, you'll get some valuable tips more people really should know about.

One of those tips I got recently is about an app that a growing number of emergency responders around Minnesota are using that can really be a lifesaver. My dad had explained that his fire department has used the app both in drill/practice situations as well as in real-life scenarios.

What's even better about this simple but powerful tool is that it's absolutely free. It can be a crucial tool in the event of certain types of emergencies, and can be handy even in day-to-day situations.

What app do Minnesota first responders wish more people knew about?

The app being used by my dad's Central Minnesota fire department and a number of other emergency responder teams around Minnesota is something called "what3words".

The idea behind the app is that it allows anyone with the app to communicate their location with an accuracy of about 10 feet or so. Rather than requiring you to transmit (or try to determine or read) GPS coordinates, which can be a very long string of numbers at that level of accuracy, the app gives you a unique three-word "code" for locations around the globe.

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Adding to the value of this app, it will still provide locations while offline. Unlike Google Maps or Apple Maps, which can have issues fully functioning without a good data connection, what3words will still provide location codes without a signal.

Giving a first responder the unique three-word code for your location can help them find you in the event you get lost, injured, stranded, etc.

How does what3words work?

The what3words service developed a grid that covers every part of the planet, placing a grid of 3-meter by 3-meter squares on the entire globe. Each square has a unique three-word code assigned to it.

This can make giving any location anywhere on the planet (on land or water) to someone else as easy as knowing the three words assigned to that specific location.

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Let's say I wanted to share with you the exact location I was in Canal Park in Duluth. If I were standing at the end of the north pier, I'd be able to tell you my what3words location is "harp.gross.usage".

Anyone else with the app (or using the what3words website on a phone or computer) could then enter the location's three words in that order, and it will show you exactly where I am, within a few feet.

The app (and website) will also provide the option to get navigation to that location via Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps, and other platforms.

How what3words can be useful for Minnesotans

The most obvious case is in the event of an emergency, but that's not where it ends.

Let's say someone is having a medical emergency on a lake, you got injured falling out of your deer stand while hunting, or you're lost on a hiking trail. Or even maybe you're reporting an accident on the side of a roadway, but you're unsure of the exact location.

Sharing your location with emergency responders could be done by using your phone to get your GPS location, but that is usually a long string of numbers that could be difficult to accurately (and quickly) read over the phone while calling 911.

Being able to just give a three-word location code is far quicker and easier.

It can be very handy in non-emergency situations, though, too.

Let's say you're at the Minnesota State Fair and you are trying to connect with another group. Rather than saying "I'm by the Sweet Martha's Cookies stand" and hoping they know where that is, you have options.

Beyond that, remembering where you parked your car, sharing the location of your campsite, finding family members at a busy place, or letting your fishing buddy know where to find you on a lake are a couple of other examples.

You could drop a pin via text, but using what3words also presents a very easy alternative way to share your location.