After Ally left us, some time passed, and my wife and I had to begin conversations about college for our other daughters, and the uptake in human trafficking and mass shootings was unsettling.
I shared my fears with my 72-year-old father, asking him how can I be there for my daughter 2000 miles away? What if she needed me, like Ally begged, “help me”?
My father replied, “Whatever happened to public pay phones”?
As a software developer, I explained how most people have mobile cellular phones now; times have changed, but that answer resonated with me.
- What if there is no signal?
- What if a creep takes my daughter’s phone?
- What if she loses the phone or it breaks, how does she call for help?
- Pushing a button on a pole still leaves someone alone for at least 3-15 minutes with an aggressor, an asthma attack, or an overdose; seconds can mean life or death!
- How do I prevent what happened to Allyson from happening again, only now my daughter would be alone!?
My father, a one-time ambassador for Atlanta, like all city ambassadors, created the omnipresence of city leadership for the public; and that thought inspired me to sketch ideas.
I considered the problem with how Allyson left us; it was the late response by EMTs, and how the responders were uninformed as to the gravity of how low her blood oxygen level had dropped. Had the EMTs known this, they would have driven away to the ER sooner; seconds matter! I knew that:
- I can create a way to send vital signs along with a 911 call, first responders would be informed upon arrival, and can make swifter life saving decisions.
- I can create a way to be on campus for immediate response to a medical emergency, crime, or violence without any wait time.
- I can I create an instant police presence after a 911 call to record, follow, and/or intercept to provide life-saving interference, allowing an actual human police officer time to reach the location fully aware of what is happening.
- I can provide instant police presence and a way to view situations unfolding to find and identify shooters quickly.
- I can provide a way for those who can’t reach the tower and allow for a call by patterned scream for help.
The idea developed into an omnipresent, ever professional ambassador attached to a public smartphone capable of medical triage, accompanied by a public safety drone, operated by trained public safety personnel to respond to any emergent need in seconds with informed dispatch.
That was my inspiration and motivation and this is my life’s goal; to keep our children safe. In a sense, I am the Ambassador Watchtower; my daughters should know that wherever there is a tower, and no matter the nature of the problem, their father is there, ready to jump into action.
THE JANUARY 6, 2021 MOB ON THE U.S. CAPITOL AND WHY THE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING