| Obviously numeric and alpha numeric pagers have | | | | Other search and rescue groups who work with |
| their place in the communications market for business | | | | canines keep their pagers on them at all times and |
| and technical professionals, families, teenagers, and | | | | their backpacks nearby. Be it a hurricane, a missing |
| educational institutions. But do we stop to realize the | | | | child, a climbing accident victim - pagers play a critical |
| role such tools play in saving human life? | | | | part in this kind of work. These volunteers WANT to |
| In the United States, a nationwide team approach | | | | be "on call" and easily found, and pagers make it |
| known as "rapid response" to medical emergencies - | | | | possible. |
| or potential emergencies - helps decrease mortality | | | | The media is full of international stories in which signals |
| rates for patients who have cardiac or respiratory | | | | from cell phones and pagers have helped technicians |
| conditions. Pagers play an important part in these | | | | to locate victims of major disasters. The use of sirens |
| procedures. | | | | to call firemen to duty has been replaced in some |
| Doctors in Europe and the United States are looking | | | | communities - and supplemented in others - by the |
| into nationwide systems to help remind patients to take | | | | implementation of home monitors and pagers which |
| their medicines, using such technology as email, cell | | | | firemen carry. |
| phones and pager warnings. In New Zealand alone, as | | | | Educational institutions have implemented plans for |
| many as 700 annual cardiac patients could be saved if | | | | evacuating disabled students and staff in case of an |
| they took their medicine as prescribed. | | | | emergency, such as a fire, and pagers are a major |
| The immediate transport of donor organs is often | | | | tool in these plans, enabling them to keep open |
| facilitated by the use of pagers in a team effort to | | | | communications with disabled parties who need special |
| relay critical information to the right place at the right | | | | help and attention during such a crisis. |
| moment., while an organ is in transit. | | | | Police in London use a pager-alert system with local |
| The U.S. Search and Rescue Task Force uses group | | | | businesses - to warn public in the event of bomb |
| pagers to contact volunteers immediately when they | | | | alerts, terrorist threats, explosions, etc. |
| are needed. Chief officers activate the group pagers | | | | Numeric and alpha numeric pagers are not just for |
| all at the same time, relaying necessary location and | | | | entertainment, not even just for day-to-day business |
| transport information instantly, thus saving hours that | | | | and family communication. Pagers are also saving lives. |
| might be wasted in rounding everyone up. | | | | |