Montco Residents Aim to Modernize Emergency Calls

Smart phones have revolutionized the way we do business, socialize and live our lives. Now, a couple of Upper Pottsgrove entrepreneurs are looking to use the devices to save those very lives.

Spring-Ford High School graduate Kevin Kollar has patented the Wireless Emergency Breaker Beacon: Silent Guardian (WEBB-SG). Kollar enlisted the help of his 21-year old son Alex in developing the new application for Android devices.

“Dad gave me the idea,” said Alex. “I brought it to life.”

The Kollars’ application removes several steps from the process of calling 911 in a life-threatening emergency while eliminating the need to have to attempt to reach emergency services via text message. Rather than going through the phone screens, dialing 911, placing the call and talking to a dispatcher, this one-touch system ensures ease of placing a call—and takes measures to increase safety in a physically threatening situation.

After unlocking the phone, the user simply presses a large (bigger than the size of an adult’s thumbprint) red button of the front-page app. This simple action immediately dials emergency services, while the app increases the microphone volume and enables GPS tracking. At the same time, the speaker mutes and the phone’s screen goes dim in order to simulate the appearance of a phone powering down.

“Quite simply, this device was invented to save lives, help to solve crimes and provide a start time of medically threatening events,” said Kevin Kollar. “It gives the victim—whether they are the victim of a health emergency or a physical attack—the ability to take a proactive approach to safety.”

Alex, a graduate of Pottsgrove High, wrote the coding for the app. Keeping the development of the application in the family brings special meaning to the entire endeavor for Kevin Kollar.

“The history of family-run business is well known,” he said. “Not to mention the ease that working with my son brings to the communication process. It doesn’t have to be a 9-to-5 arrangement.”

The Kollars see the business benefits of the WEBB:SG, but are even more interested in how truly revolutionary their app can be in saving lives around the world. With the prevalence of Android devices worldwide, Kevin Kollar believes that with universal usage, the device can save literally thousands of lives each week.

“It shaves minutes off the golden hour,” he said.

Already the Kollars have looked into charitable means of getting their product out to the public. As Android devices age, the Kollars hope that people will donate their used devices to be given to people in underprivileged areas who are without the means to purchase the product. Legally, even devices that have experienced service interruption must maintain the ability to place emergency calls—ensuring that even the least fortunate citizen could benefit from WEBB:SG.

“The people of the world need to know there is still some good out there,” concluded Kevin Kollar. “I want to make a difference with this. I want to help people.”

For more information on the Wireless Emergency Breaker Beacon: Silent Guardian, visit www.webbsg.com.