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Appiphilia: Four iPhone apps to use in case of emergency

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SoCal, what’s shakin’? Today, there’s a region-wide drill to help prepare us for a massive earthquake, which scientists warn eventually will come.

When the ground stops rumbling and the car alarms start screeching, we tend to grab our phones. For many of you, that happens to be an iPhone. So we’re weighing in with a special edition of Appiphilia to give you four apps that might assist you in an emergency situation.

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First aid info: iFirstAid (99 cents, pictured at right) walks you through step by step, with pictures, how to assess injuries and take action in emergency medical situations. There are quick and dirty instructions for those who themselves might be shaken by the incident.

Both 1st Response: Emergency Kit ($2.99) and Pocket First Aid and CPR Guide ($1.99) give you the skinny on what your own first-aid kit should contain and detailed info on how to handle some common injuries, such as bleeding, shock, broken bones and loss of consciousness (it won’t help you much if you’re unconscious, though). You can also enter your own medical info such as allergies, blood type and emergency contacts.

The 1st Response app includes a ‘flashlight’ function, which could be helpful if the power has gone out. And for roadside problems, it offers basic car repair tips.

These two apps don’t require cell service, which is a good thing since it is often the first service to go or get overwhelmed in an emergency.

Location services: If you are unable to free yourself -- and have a cell signal -- tap on Emergency Distress Beacon (free) to activate your GPS services and send an e-mail to whomever you choose.

The note says ‘An emergency distress beacon was set off by ___ at location’ and includes your latitude and longitude. I sent one to my editor -- yeah, that got his attention pretty quickly. (Caveat: if you’re not able to ride on a Wi-Fi signal or if cell service is out, this won’t work.)

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-- Michelle Maltais

Maltais is editorial broadcast manager for the Los Angeles Times.

Do you have any emergency app suggestions? Share them in the comments below.


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