LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - The RNLI have introduced a Digital Pager System hooked up to the internet. You can now download a desktop widget ‘RNLI Digital Pager’ and become a ‘Virtual Crew Member’ on a call-out.

‘Every time the pager pings onto the screen it means that RNLI volunteers are dropping everything and heading out to sea to help someone who could be in trouble - there are on average 20 lifeboat launches a day and this pager really shows just what a busy and vital service RNLI lifeboats provide.

The digital pager has a time offset of a few minutes to prevent spectators causing trouble for crew members trying to launch the boat.

Download Digital Pager Here

I have a vision of the future of rescue I’m slowly working through in my head. I see the internet playing a massive role. My idea of ‘OpenRescue’ is along the lines of this paging device alerting 1000’s of people who all partake in a search from their desk by aiding the team on the ground. This participation may come in many forms but an example would be sifting through hundreds of satellite photos of the sea to try and spot a liferaft etc. I’ll write more about ‘OpenRescue’ later.

-Robin-