Ambulance "Uber" at the heart of the rescue of the seats of the hotels dusitD2: The Standard

Just minutes after the attack by activists from a luxury resort in Nairobi last month, the first ambulances rumbled to collect wounded survivors.

Rapid medical badistance is taken for granted in Western countries, but many developing countries do not have a centralized emergency command. Confusion over past attacks in Kenya has cost the lives.
This time, the response was much better, thanks in part to Flare, a new tele-badistance app whose ambulances were the first to be owned by the DusitD2 hotel and office complex, touched by Somali al Shabaab.
"Flare was telling us what was going on, how to position our ambulances, how to evacuate, how to apply for additional resources," said Kelvin Osano, ambulance fleet manager at Avenue Avenue private hospital, near where the wounded have flocked.

SEE ALSO:Muslim scholars in search of fight against extremism

The four gunmen and the suicide bomber killed 21 people, just around the corner from another Al Shabaab attack in 2013, which killed 67 people at Westgate Mall.
At the time, the medical intervention was "horrible," Osano said.
There was no yard on the premises. Hemorrhagic patients were bundled up in vehicles without being stabilized. A security cordon prevented ambulances from approaching victims.
But at the resort, Flare's scrambled ambulances – run by Rescue.co – arrived quickly after panicked calls from subscribers who had paid the annual tax of 2,400 shillings ($ 24). The first ambulance arrived within 12 minutes, and by the time 20 were already there.
Eric Ogot, a former nurse at the Rescue.co hotline, gave first aid by phone to employees hiding under the control of armed men. He helped sort patients away and badigned drivers. "Our job would be to try to be a soothing presence," he said.

SEE ALSO:The dark legacy of Pablo Escobar refuses to die 25 years later

In the absence of official information, Flare's emergency number appeared on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Soon, it is no longer only individuals or business clients who call, but also relatives of the missing.
The nearby Australian High Commission agreed to serve as a relay for the Flare ambulances.
The police provided information to Rescue.co.
Peter Koome, paramedic at St. John Ambulance, said improving coordination, as well as improved training and access, certainly helped save lives.

SEE ALSO:Police investigate stabbings in Manchester as a "terrorist attack"

Of 30 people seriously injured, all but two survived.
The Americans Caitlin Dolkart and Maria Rabinovich founded Rescue.co in 2016. The Flare app operates as a food delivery service and offers tens of thousands of subscribers and 500 ambulances across Kenya.
While Kenyans in emergency situations usually call the nearest hospital and ambulances are often trapped in traffic, Flare streamlines services by monitoring them in time. real location of ambulances and traffic conditions. Dolkart said he hoped to expand, both in the region and in the fire and security services, by taking advantage of his experience at dusk2.

Related Topics

dusitD2 hotelTerrorism