[January 07, 2013]

Proteg-GO Launches Guardian on the Go Mobile App and Service to Complement 911

Proteg-GO today launched "Guardian on the Go," a smartphone app automatically supplying 911 emergency services with the locations of users in distress, even when someone is unable to verbally offer that information. Guardian on the Go also automatically alerts an individual's choice of contacts and social networks of an emergency and provides periodic status updates until the situation is resolved.

Proteg-GO provides consumers, lone workers, senior citizens, teenagers and others with a convenient and multi-featured alternative to simply dialing 911. Many public-safety answering points (PSAPs) are understaffed, vulnerable to disasters and incapable of converting GPS coordinates into street addresses, where applicable.

Guardian on the Go provides five major advantages over simply dialing 911:

• Users simply touch the Crisis button on the app to alert Proteg-GO's contact center and have their GPS locations automatically identified. This one-touch process eliminates the need for users to speak with an operator to provide their locations, which they might not be able to give if they're in an unfamiliar place or too injured to communicate. Proteg-GO's contact center also provides users with relevant safety tips and monitors them until they're safe.
• The app sends the alert, GPS coordinates and other information via SMS, which has proven itself as the fastest, most dependable way to communicate even when cellular and wireline networks are overloaded or disrupted. That dependability is one reason why some PSAPs are adding text-to-911 support, but that process will take several years to complete nationwide.
• Proteg-GO's contact center gives first responders the user's exact location in a format they can use. That ability is a time- and potentially life-saving alternative in cases where the PSAP hasn't upgraded its system to convert GPS coordinates into street addresses.
• Proteg-GO's contact center uses a proprieary, nationwide network to contact local first responders directly when PSAPs are overloaded or knocked offline. These alternative connections save time that could make the difference between life and death.
• By providing an alternative way for people to alert first responders, Guardian on the Go reduces the workload for PSAP staff. As a result, they're under less stress and can provide better support to people who choose to use traditional 911 services.

After issuing the initial alert, Guardian On The Go then provides periodic status updates to the Mobile Guardian Network contacts and social networks. Once users are safe, the app provides a convenient set of tools so they can quickly share photos, text and other status information with their friends, family, colleagues and employers.

"Proteg-GO's Guardian on the Go provides a much needed alternative to trying to call 911, potentially sitting on hold and then having to contact friends, family and colleagues - or worse, leaving them in the dark," said Ray Krzyzek, CEO. "It is the future of emergency response, providing white-glove service for users and enabling first responders to work more efficiently and effectively."

Based in Boston, Proteg-GO was founded by Ray Krzyzek and Steve Cordeiro, who each have more than three decades of combined experience delivering integrated technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies, major medical centers and governments worldwide. Proteg-GO's contact center is a trusted U.S. Department of Homeland Security partner and is supported by an advisory board that includes New York City Fire Department first responders.

Guardian on the Go currently supports Apple smartphones, with Android to follow later in January. Support for BlackBerry (News - Alert) and Windows phones is planned for later this year. The Guardian on the Go app is $1.99 to download, and contact center support is $1.99 a month. For more information, visit www.proteg-go.com or visit Proteg-GO's booth at Pepcom Digital Experience! this week during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)).

ABOUT PROTEG-GO

Founded in 2012 by technology industry and first response veterans, Proteg-GO creates personal protection, safety and emergency assistance mobile applications that help users keep safe anywhere, anytime during natural disasters, medical emergencies and other dangerous situations. Guardian on the Go is the first application that provides personal safety, built upon Proteg-GO's Mobile Guardian Network, which compliments local 911-phone service as users travel from place to place with their mobile device. When confronted by danger, its one-touch SMS function quickly mobilizes first emergency response resources via its call center, contacts friends and family that need to know, provides safety tips and continues to monitor your status until you determine your own safety during a wide array of emergencies.

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