Hero Link Bridges the Gap Between Technology and Live-Saving Resources

Law enforcement, firefighters, and paramedics often respond to emergency situations that may include stabbings, gunshots, robberies, and burglaries in progress. And at the end of their shift, everyone wants to return home safely. But suppose something does happen that renders a first responder unable to communicate. In that case, two Sheriff deputies from Charlotte County, Florida invented a wristband that may make a difference in the health outcome of that individual.

Hero Link is an adjustable silicone waterproof and fire-resistant wristband that provides information with the ‘tap’ of a smartphone: age, height, weight, place of employment, medical history, surgical history, allergies, medications, mental illnesses, blood type, donor status, emergency contacts, mental health resources, and primary physician contact information.

The person rendering the aid ‘taps’ a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled smartphone to the Hero Link band logo. On the iPhone, a firm back top-middle tap of the phone is required to access the Hero Link logo. On Android, it requires a firm back-middle tap of the phone to the Hero Link Logo.

The History of Hero Link

The idea for Hero Link began two years ago when Sean O'Keefe, a Charlotte County Deputy First Class and field training officer was training Daniel Barzykowski – a retired Central Falls, Rhode Island police chief and new Charlotte County Deputy First Class. They became close friends.

Barzykowski served on a not-for-profit board for mental health and suicide prevention. He brought O’Keefe in on the group, which included high-ranking administrative officials to ‘boots on the ground’ people.

“Everybody suffered from the same thing,” notes O’Keefe. “There’s mental illness, PTSD, substance abuse, you name it. After that meeting was over, I got to thinking how do we bring mental health resources to these people?”

O’Keefe also thought about if he showed up to a house and someone was down – even deceased – how could he make his job easier in notifying the family or contacting a doctor?

Having witnessed firsthand the challenges faced in critical situations, they felt compelled to create a solution bridging the gap between technology and life-saving resources.

“I started thinking about the wearables and the technology behind it,” says O’Keefe.

Barzykowski’s and O’Keefe’s combined experience led to the belief that wristbands should be offered at low cost to those who put their lives in danger.

“We know the dangers of the job we signed up for,” he adds. “At any given time, our life can be put in danger, a firefighter can be in danger.”

He points out that family members of first responders want peace of mind that they’re going to be safe.

Additionally, there can be struggles responding to a call when someone is incapacitated.

“We’re trying to figure out what's wrong and they're unable to communicate with us,” notes Barzykowski.

NFC Technology

O’Keefe’s background before entering law enforcement included entrepreneurialism, tech, graphic and web design, and marketing.

“We bounced ideas down from our experiences and Sean’s background in digital advertising and graphic design. He brought it to life,” Barzykowski notes. The band was named Hero Link by Barzykowski’s wife Laura.

O’Keefe was already helping another company with QR codes but considered its flaws and vulnerabilities – including how QR could be captured via photographs – and chose to base Hero Link on NFC technology.

“We were doing a lot of research and development for the first year, testing the product, putting it out there, beating it up, creating it, recreating it, making it better, analyzing it before we went live,” says Barzykowski. “I don't think there's anyone more cynical than police officers. We wanted to make sure we had it right.”

Reducing Time to Gather Data

Hero Link is currently manufactured for corrections officers, firefighters, law enforcement, military and veterans, tow operators, emergency management workers, paramedics and EMTs, dispatchers, nurses and medical personnel, security officers, and those in the education sector – those whose occupations expose them to potential dangers. The device can save lives by reducing the time needed to gather critical information.

Joseph Ravid, M.D., a former New York City paramedic, a medical physician, and a Charlotte County Sheriff’s office SWAT doctor, calls Hero Link “the gold standard.”

“When the SWAT team is conducting a raid or maneuver and one of them goes down, by them having the Hero Link accessible, I can access everything I need to know without them having to tell me what they're on. Especially when they're in distress, there's no way of gathering proper information. It can really make the difference between life and death.”

It also makes the difference in administering proper treatment, especially if the person in distress has allergies, Ravid adds.

“If they have allergies to a bee sting, did they go down because it’s an MI (methylisothiazolinone) or they got stung by a bee while they’re going through a shed to clear it? They may have an allergy to epinephrine. It takes the guesswork out of it.” And according to Ravid, in these instances, treating as soon as possible is especially important.

“If I can treat them right there at the scene properly and not have to worry about any kind of cross interaction with medications, blood products, IV, or anything like that, it saves lives.”

“If you get a job in law enforcement, fire, EMT, military, your job is to serve others,” says Barzykowski. “Sean, me, and my wife as well – we love it in law enforcement. Besides doing our job, we’ve always volunteered. This is a way we could do something above and beyond our call of duty where we could help protect those that are serving others.”

Adopting New Technology

The technology has been adopted by more than 2,000 agencies in all 50 states and has attracted attention from international law enforcement, including Australia, England, Africa, and Canada.

Training materials are provided to agencies, including instructional stickers for rigs, PowerPoint presentations, and training briefs. Training material has been sent out to some 35,000 fire and EMS agencies nationwide as well as to hospitals.

The Hero Link band is compatible with most recent phones and does not require recharging, drawing power from the phone.

“You can keep it on 24/7. You could scan this band 10 times a day every single day and it will last 26 years,” Barzykowski says.

The person wearing the Hero Link updates it with as little or as much information as desired, with the ability to update that information in real-time. If a band is stolen or lost, a user can log in to their account and 'freeze' the band, preventing access to it. The user’s identity is not stolen if they forget to ‘freeze’ it as Hero Link does not utilize or ask for personally identifiable information. Only the date of birth is requested to accurately reflect one’s age on a profile.

Hero Link bands do not have GPS or tracking capabilities. Changes are made to the platform as needed, with the company gearing up to launch Version 2 for use by the general public. It may include specialized bands for different needs, such as Alzheimer's, Down Syndrome, and autism.

Future updates will include additional features like immunizations, document uploads, devices, implants, and miscellaneous notes.

Barzykowski notes third-party testing is done on the system to protect it.

How Hero Link is Different

Hero Link is different from a smartwatch that may carry some health information in that it is a simple band that can’t be tracked. O’Keefe describes it as a ‘tourniquet’ of sorts. It’s also different in that everyone involved in its creation is active or previous law enforcement, military, and EMS, he adds.

“One of the biggest questions is, ‘I have this on my phone, why would I get this?’ O’Keefe notes. “In an accident, your phone’s probably going to be flying out the window or inside the car, under the seat, destroyed, cracked, dead, the battery just dies.  

“EMS and medical personnel usually don't check for phones. They check for medical jewelry, bracelets, and necklaces, and check your wallet for your ID. If they don't have anything off of those, then they move on. This is more of a multi-access point where everybody can have the information doing something different at a different time.”

Hero Link also offers a card the size of a driver’s license that contains the same information, which can be obtained through the tap of a phone with NFC.

Use of the band doesn’t violate HIPPA as all users have to agree with the company’s terms and conditions and privacy policy before its use. Each user is voluntarily providing their medical data for the possibility others will see it

Nurses, doctors, and medical professionals can 'tap' a band if they are first on the scene. If a user is responsive, it's unlikely someone will 'tap' their band without their knowledge as the distance to successfully 'tap' and hold a phone to a Hero Link band is less than an inch and a half.

When someone accesses a Hero Link’s profile, they only have one hour to review the information and then they are locked out.

Case studies have proven Hero Link’s value.

In one instance, a woman bought the Hero Link for her brother, a firefighter. No sooner did he set it up than he responded to a structure fire at a three-story house and fell through to the second floor while trying to save a child, becoming unresponsive.

Tapping his Hero Link, others were able to render proper care and notify his sister. He’s doing well, O’Keefe says.

In another case, an EMT wearing it was hit by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle and became incapacitated.

“Rescue showed up and scanned the band to get his information,” says Barzykowski. “We don't want anybody getting hurt, but we're proud to know that if and when somebody did get hurt, the product’s working.”