The artificial intelligence-powered dispatch software of Israel's national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) will be made available to Hatzalah emergency service organizations across the United States, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The technology, which uses AI to instantly locates and dispatches the nearest first responders to a medical emergency, was showcased at the Hatzalah Expo in New Jersey.
How does MDA's AI dispatch work?
In Israel, callers to MDA’s 101 hotline are connected to a medical professional, either an EMT or paramedic, within four seconds, who can assess the emergency through a conversation with the caller or by the system’s ability to provide a live video stream of the scene.
Using the technology, MDA can instantly geolocate the caller and simultaneously dispatch the nearest ambulance and seven nearest first responders to the scene, irrespective of whether they are from Magen David Adom or a Hatzalah group.
Hatzalah, a Jewish volunteer emergency medical service organization serving primarily areas with Jewish communities worldwide, was founded by Rabbi Hershel Weber, who was in attendance at Tuesday's expo alongside MDA's Chief of Staff Uri Shacham.
Shacham expressed excitement about collaborating with Hatzalah for a united cause.
“It was a profound privilege to meet with the legendary Rabbi Hershel Weber, the man who inspired the concept of Hatzalah worldwide."
Uri Shacham
“It was a profound privilege to meet with the legendary Rabbi Hershel Weber, the man who inspired the concept of Hatzalah worldwide,” Shacham said. “From the simple idea of volunteers saving lives in Williamsburg, Hatzalah has become a global movement with chapters across America, Israel and around the world.
"Magen David Adom has partnered with Hatzalah to train volunteers and, in turn, has been strengthened by those volunteers flying to Israel to assist during times of war and national emergency," he said. "We are one people with one mission: to save lives.”