Startup Leverages Mobile App Tech to Save Lives

The best mobile apps solve problems and simplify life for their users. Unfortunately, not all iPhone app developers live up to their potential, and sometimes it seems like the headlines are dominated by news about Angry Birds or the Kim Kardashian emoji app.

That’s why stories like the founding of FastEvac come like a breath of fresh air, showing how something as simple as an app on a phone can make life a little bit better — or in this case, actually save lives.

The concept behind FastEvac is deceptively simple: send directed messages to aid and direct the evacuation of large buildings in the case of disaster. Where standard alarms create chaos and misdirection, FastEvac allows disaster response to do what it’s supposed to. Which is inform users of what’s happening, how it affects them, and what they can do to get out of harm’s way.

FastEvac CEO Daniel Lifschitz came up for the app idea during an event that was literally earth-shaking: an earthquake near his workplace in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for evacuating a group of co-workers. When someone on his team got hit on the head and his radio failed, Lifschitz realized there wasn’t a plan “B” protocol. We have a lander on Mars and supercomputers in our pockets, so why can’t we have an emergency system that doesn’t rely on walkie-talkies and interoffice memos? Developing a mobile app solution was the clear answer.

Lifschitz set to work right away developing what would become the FastEvac app, teaming up with a group of close friends in Los Angeles with mobile app development backgrounds. While the startup’s beginnings were a little rocky, an early pivot to include schools alongside corporations in their target market helped kick-start growth of the mobile app.

Fast forward to now and the mobile app developers have already partnered with a handful of corporate and educational clients, working to keep thousands of people safe in the case of emergency. Mobile app demos are currently available through their website, and company statements indicate a plan to expand beyond schools and corporations after graduation from the incubation phase.