New

Fall Detection Device Unveiled by SOS

Reliable fall detection, the most significant innovation in personal emergency response since the introduction of two-way voice communication, is now available exclusively from SOS Industries, Inc., of New Smyrna Beach, FL.

FALL ALERT, a 100 percent solid-state fall detection device, integrates seamlessly with the company's existing SOSSignal personal emergency response system (PERS), providing advanced protection for subscribers to the service who might fall, become unconscious and be unable to push the button on their standard help button.

"This is without a doubt the most exciting thing to come along in this industry in many years," according to William B. Kane, SOS president and CEO. "Never before has there been a device that intelligently detects when a subscriber has fallen.
 

The problem with similar devices in the past is the extraordinary number of false alarms due to poor design of the sensing device. The FALL ALERT design uses the latest engineering technology and is very, very accurate."

Kane says that FALL ALERT answers the frequently asked question, "Suppose the subscriber falls and hits his or her head and is unable to push the help button?" The device, which senses the sudden deceleration at the end of a fall, sends a special signal to the SOS monitoring center. Operators attempt to contact the subscriber through the two-way voice main unit. If contact is not made, help is dispatched immediately.

"It's an unfortunate fact that people fall in their homes and are sometimes rendered unconscious," Kane says. "If that happens and, for example, if the PERS subscriber lives alone, the results can be disastrous, as no one is alerted to the situation. With FALL ALERT, a 'fall' signal is automatically sent and the subscriber gets help without pushing the button."

The patented FALL ALERT consists of a small sensor-transmitter weighing less than 1 1/2 ounces and measuring about 2" by 1 1/2" by 1/2" in size. It is worn on a lightweight belt or clipped to clothing on the subscriber¹s torso. It is waterproof and can be worn in the shower. The device also includes a regular help button that may be pushed when assistance is needed.

Note: SOS will introduce the FALL ALERT at the 1999 Medtrade convention Nov. 3-6 in New Orleans. Please visit us at Booth #3165.

New SOS Corporate Offices Completed

The new 10,000-square-foot expansion to SOS's corporate office building in New Smyrna Beach is now almost complete, with most areas now occupied.

Construction, which took more than a year to complete, includes a new state-of-the-art 2,500-square-foot monitoring center. Coupled with SOS's new monitoring center in Valdosta, GA, this clearly makes SOS arguably the most advanced and capable electronic monitoring company in the country, if not the world. SOS is the only PERS monitoring company that operates two linked monitoring centers and can transfer all monitoring capability to either center with a single computer keystroke. This means that if either center were unable to function for any reason, all monitoring can be easily transferred to the other center, ensuring continued service.

According to Bill Wright, SOS communications director, "While other personal emergency response companies often experience repeated long-term service outages, leaving their clients unprotected and at great risk for hours or days at a time, we continue to focus on steps to further ensure the uninterrupted service we have provided since SOS was founded in 1988."

The new SOS Industries complex comprises several buildings on several acres along U.S. 1 in New Smyrna Beach, just south of Daytona Beach, FL.