Firefighters credit smartwatch for saving man’s life in the freezing cold

MORROW, Ga. - Firefighters in the City of Morrow said a smartwatch saved a man’s life. Morrow firefighters found the patient barely conscious – outside in below-freezing temperatures. 

"It was an unusual call," said Capt. James Flemming. "I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I’ve never come across a situation like this.

Firefighters said they got called to an address at 3:30 a.m. last Saturday for a person down.

"The call originated from an Apple Watch and went through the Clayton County Emergency Communication Center and alerted the Morrow Fire Department," said Deputy Chief Jeff Moss.

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With the temperature just 28 degrees, when Flemming and his team got on the scene, it was a race against time to find whoever that watch belong to. The watch sent coordinates to firefighters, but it didn’t list a physical address. 

One firefighter soon made a discovery. 

"He happened to notice a foot near some bushes and that’s how we ended up locating them," Flemming said.

In addition to Apple, tech companies Samsung and Garmin equip some of their smartwatches with fall detection. Basically, if they sense a fall they’ll ask you if you’re ok. If you say no or don’t respond, they’ll call for help. 

In this case, the watch did what it was supposed to do in the nick of time.

"The patient’s core temperature was about 89° which is in the moderate hypothermia," said Moss. 

Medics rushed that patient to the hospital, where doctors were able to turn things around. He has since made a full recovery. 

"It’s a great satisfaction to know that you made a difference in potentially saving someone’s life," said Flemming. 

Deputy Chief Moss said that’s why they do what they do.

"This is our Super Bowl," he said. "To save a life, it’s winning our Super Bowl.

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