iHELP – QUESTIONS AND SUPPORT (FAQ)

QUESTIONS AND SUPPORT (FAQ)

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What is iHELP?

iHELP is a web and mobile application for smartphones designed for immediate SOS alerting in cases where you require emergency medical services (112), firefighters (112), the police (113), or a security service that demands immediate assistance. With the application, we can help not only ourselves but also others in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest or other critical medical conditions, traffic accidents, fires, or when a person or a pet goes missing. The application provides greater safety at home, on the go, and abroad.

iHELP is much more than just an application; it is a socially responsible movement striving for greater public safety. It fulfills its so-called "heart mission" through its additional activities, such as maintaining an inventory of defibrillators, building a safety network, providing safety education, instructing on defibrillator usage and the basic steps of CPR with an AED, and spreading this compassionate mission among businesses, local communities, etc.

What is the iHELP safety network?

The safety network is a geographical network that displays the distance between the user's current location and emergency services, as well as iHELP users, first responders, emergency medical personnel, and emergency contacts (ICE).

Who is the iHELP application intended for?

It is intended for emergency medical personnel and first responders who already have rescue experience and will ensure coverage in the areas where they are present.

It is also for the elderly who have health issues, live alone, or want greater safety, as well as survivors of cardiac arrest. Additionally, it serves travelers, tourists, families, and young mothers who wish to ensure higher levels of safety at home, at work, on the go, and abroad.

What about those who do not have a smartphone?

Today, every mobile phone can send and receive SMS messages. In the event that an iHELP user needs emergency medical assistance, the police, or firefighters and activates an SOS alarm, their emergency contacts and first responders within a radius of 500 meters or more will receive an SOS ALARM via email and/or SMS message.

Therefore, we advise: you can create an iHELP user profile via the iHELP application or through the website www.ihelp.life. Each user fills in their personal and medical information (creating an iHELP digital health record), adds their emergency contacts (friends and family members), and includes their most frequently visited locations (such as home, work, parents' house, etc.). With the user's consent, emergency services, police officers, firefighters, emergency contacts, and first responders can access and use this data when an SOS alarm is activated (to save lives).

Why is it SMART to have an iHELP user profile "account"?

iHELP has set a goal to connect emergency medical stations, the police force, and firefighting units. The added value of the patented iHELP SOS alarm system is that if a user who does not own a smartphone or does not have the iHELP application installed needs urgent medical assistance and calls 112 or 113 or 911:

The dispatcher (112 / 113 / 911) enters all the required data into the iHELP system, which then automatically checks the caller's phone number to see if they are a registered iHELP user.
If the iHELP system recognizes the phone number as a registered user, the dispatcher/operator can activate an alarm on behalf of the victim, alerting their friends, family members, nearby iHELP users, emergency personnel, and first responders in the immediate vicinity.
Consequently, the rescue response time can be reduced by up to 10 times or more!
Furthermore, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS service) can retrieve all the necessary information about the victim from the iHELP system, including their medical history and other personal data (provided the user has given consent).

Which mobile phones can run the mobile application?

Currently, the mobile application can be installed on smartphones operating on Android as well as Apple iPhones (iOS).

I would like to become an iHELP responder

Anyone who has completed a Red Cross paramedic course, an ITLS Basic course, or other comparable training, or has a medical background, can become an iHELP first responder. You can enter your competencies, certificates, and skills directly into your iHELP profile.

Who are the local coordinators?

Local coordinators are individuals who are aware of the challenges surrounding sudden cardiac arrest and are willing to strengthen the iHELP network within their local environment. Local coordinators collaborate with iHELP and act as a bridge to the people in the local community.

I would like to use iHELP but I do not have a smartphone?

Users who do not own a smartphone can use the iHELP web application. Through the web platform, users can send an SOS call or access other features and content.

In which situations can I use the iHELP application to make an SOS call?

The application is primarily designed for rapid notification in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. However, users can also activate the SOS call in other medical emergencies or accidents.

Do I also need to call 112/113/911 when activating an SOS call in the iHELP application?

Yes. The application is designed to automatically redirect you to dial 112/113/911 once the SOS process within the app is completed.

What is an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)?

An AED is a device that uses an electrical shock to restore the heart to a normal (regular) rhythm. The use of an AED is simple and automated (the "A" in AED), and it is designed for use by both laypeople and medical personnel. If the device does not detect an irregular heart rhythm or cardiac arrest, it will not deliver a shock. Therefore, any concern that you might harm someone because you lack experience using an AED is completely unnecessary.

We want to install a defibrillator in our community. What do we need to do?

iHELP supports socially responsible communities that wish to install a defibrillator. Funds gathered from iHELP products are dedicated to setting up defibrillators in the locality of the purchase. This means that iHELP will allocate a portion of the proceeds from sales of the application, NFC SOS Stickers, Emergency SOS Cards, SOS TAG, SOS Points, SOS Buttons, and BLS (Basic Life Support) seminars toward purchasing a defibrillator for your local area.

How does the application find where I am located?

Smartphones have a built-in GPS receiver that localizes the user. If the GPS feature is turned off or if there is no connection, the user can manually specify their location. The application also allows for quick preset locations.

Can I send an SOS alarm without an internet connection?

If you have upgraded your application (PREMIUM Package), you also have SMS alerting activated, even if the application is not connected to the internet. The application generates an SMS that you can send to 112 / 911, and you can also initiate a call to the 112 / 911 emergency number.

What is a smartphone?

A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computing capabilities and connectivity than contemporary basic-feature phones. Smartphones are also known as handheld computers (PDAs) with a built-in mobile phone. While basic-feature phones are known to run applications developed on Java ME platforms, smartphones allow users to install and run more advanced applications. Smartphones run platforms created to support application developers. They can be considered personal pocket computers with added mobile phone functionalities, as these devices are essentially regular computers, only much smaller. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone

What should I do if I am resuscitating a victim who suffered a cardiac arrest, and I know an AED is nearby but currently locked inside a building? Should I break into the building, retrieve the AED, and use it to help the victim, or should I continue performing hands-only CPR?

Both options can be correct. Abandoning the victim to search for an AED if you are resuscitating them alone is not appropriate, as such an action could cost them their life; therefore, it is better to continue with basic life support (CPR). If you are not alone at the scene of the accident, one of the volunteers can continue with CPR while the other rushes to fetch the AED. If the AED is not in an open area but is located inside a locked building, you can, in principle, break into the facility (This is in Slovenia). Please read the next question to understand the potential legal consequences of such an action.

What are the legal consequences if I break into a building where an AED is stored because I need it to resuscitate a victim of cardiac arrest?

The act of breaking into a building where an AED is locked (stored) is, or should be, treated as an act committed in a state of extreme necessity (force majeure / emergency). This is because it was done to protect human life, which ranks higher on the scale of values than property rights. This means that unlawfulness in a criminal law sense is excluded, or rather, it does not exist. In theory, the damaged party could file a claim for damages, but only against the individual who was being rescued. However, as evident from Article 138, Paragraph 2 of the Obligations Code of the Republic of Slovenia:
(2) If someone causes damage in a state of distress, the damaged party may claim compensation from the person responsible for creating the danger of damage, or from those from whom the damage was averted; however, from the latter, no more than the amount of benefit they derived from it.

Therefore, the damaged party's claim against the rescued individual would not be substantiated, or rather, according to legal theory, such a claim against the rescued individual is groundless. The right to life prevails over property rights.

Legal Disclaimer: This legal assessment is for informational purposes only. The opinions of regulatory bodies or courts regarding this legal issue may differ from the stance expressed in the assessment above. This legal opinion shall not be applicable in the event of changes in legislation and/or case law. This legal opinion is not directly applicable in court proceedings. The court handling the specific case has jurisdiction over each individual matter.