KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Lenexa first responders are promoting a location app they say could make reaching people in emergencies faster and easier, especially with large World Cup crowds expected next month.
The app is called What3Words. It divides the world into small squares, each assigned three unique random words. Opening the app immediately displays the three words tied to your exact location.
Lenexa Fire Chief Travis Vaughn said the tool is especially useful in parks, trails, and other places without an obvious street address.
"It's very helpful for us. We're in a business where time matters greatly. And if we can locate someone that's kind of on a trail or in a park more quickly, the outcomes will be better," Vaughn said.
When someone shares their three words with emergency crews, dispatchers type them in and get a map directly to that location.
Vaughn said his department used the app just this week during an incident in one of Lenexa's larger parks.
"We had an incident in one of our larger parks that we used What3Words to locate someone on the dam of a little lake area that we have, and it just works perfectly,” Vaughn said. “So even if I were to use What3Words right from here to get to the middle of that park, it will show me where to drive to and then where I'm going to have to walk to.”
Vaughn said the app does not rely on cell signal strength — only a phone's GPS — which makes it practical in crowded venues like tailgates and sporting events. He said it can be useful not only for first responders, but for anyone trying to locate a friend in a large crowd.
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