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             Emergency SOS via Satellite Saves Lives in Maui Fires

   Adam Engst

   On the Service Formerly Known as Twitter, [1]Michael J. Miraflor
   posted:

     My brother's girlfriend's cousin and his family were caught in their
     vehicle in Maui while the wildfires suddenly erupted around them.

     No cell service, so Apple Emergency SOS was the only way they could
     get in contact with first responders. Literally saved their lives.

   I can't even imagine what these 34 minutes of hell must have been like.
   Emergency SOS is magic (see '[2]Testing Emergency SOS and Find My via
   Satellite,' 21 November 2022), but while the iPhone walks you through
   using it, doing so successfully while trapped in a van with fire all
   around would have been nerve-wracking. Two additional thoughts:
     * The iPhone user's emergency contact must have been simultaneously
       horrified and relieved to receive this chat, presumably after it
       ended.
     * Particularly for younger people, the emergency services dispatcher
       typing in all caps might have been additionally stressful.

   Regardless, kudos to Apple for developing the Emergency SOS via
   satellite, to the iPhone 14 user for keeping a cool head under
   pressure, to the emergency services dispatchers, and to the actual fire
   department for making the rescue.

   I hope stories like this encourage Apple to make the Emergency SOS via
   satellite feature post-paid in some way after its initial 2-year free
   period. No one would subscribe because they expected to be caught in a
   wildfire in a historic Hawaiian beach town.


   

References

   Visible links
   1. https://twitter.com/michaelmiraflor/status/1689452794443632640
   2. https://tidbits.com/2022/11/21/testing-emergency-sos-and-find-my-via-satellite/

   Hidden links:
   3. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/08/Emergency-SOS-Maui-image-1.jpg

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