When the rescuer becomes the casualty
Search-and-rescue volunteers accept risk the rest of us are being carried away from. But the person who goes out to help can just as easily become the casualty — a slip on wet rock, a swift-water pin, a responder separated from the team in poor visibility. Vygard Rescue, now on the App Store, is built for exactly that moment.
A live picture, and a way to shout for help
Controllers get a live map of every responder in the field, so nobody is unaccounted for. Each rescuer has one-tap SOS plus automatic fall and impact detection for hard ground, with a what3words location and cell-tower fallback for the many places where GPS is unreliable and signal is thin. When a responder is in trouble, the team knows where and how fast.
Made for the field
The app is deliberately simple to operate with cold hands and gloves, and it keeps working at the edge of coverage where these teams actually operate. It's designed to sit alongside existing command-and-control, not replace it.
Vygard Rescue is part of the Vygard range of lone-worker and responder-safety apps. Download it at https://apps.apple.com/app/id6773817453.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Vygard Rescue give the control team?
- A live map of every responder in the field so nobody is unaccounted for, plus instant alerts with location the moment a responder triggers SOS or a fall is detected.
- Does it work where GPS and signal are unreliable?
- It uses what3words locations and cell-tower fallback for places where GPS is weak, and is built to keep working at the edge of coverage where rescue teams operate.
- Does it replace our command-and-control system?
- No — it's designed to sit alongside existing command-and-control, adding responder-level safety and location rather than replacing your dispatch.
Last updated 2026-08-05