Miami Beach 911 dispatchers now using What3Words app to help find callers without clear addresses

Miami Beach is the first city in South Florida to use a new app that helps dispatchers find callers who aren t sure where they are City executives in a press release Monday declared the app called What Words breaks down locations into three unique words to pinpoint a caller s exact spot even in places without clear street addresses like beaches and parks Every second counts in an crisis What Words helps our first responders find people faster mentioned Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner Now our dispatchers can pinpoint locations with incredible precision even in parks or beaches where street addresses aren t clear This will help us save lives If someone calls and doesn t know their location dispatchers can send them a link The app then provides three words like surfaces hotels upon which map to a specific spot like Meridian Ave Callers read the words back and dispatchers use them to direct crisis crews What Words gives us an added advantage in finding people quicker especially in areas without street addresses or when a caller is disoriented declared Miami Beach Fire Chief Digna Abello who oversees the city s crisis dispatch operations for police fire and anatomical calls In urgency situations every second matters and this tool helps us eliminate the guesswork The app is now being used for calls throughout Miami Beach Click here for more information