The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) launched a new iPhone app last week to help swiftwater rescue technicians calculate the possible distance travelled by a person entering moving water.

On arrival at the incident scene, rescue personnel measure a pre-determined distance of water and drop an object in to time how long it takes to travel that distance. The app then calculates the speed of the current. Input the time the person entered the water and the app proceeds to calculating the maximum possible distance travelled.

The app continues to re-calculate this distance as time progresses through the search and rescue effort.

Bob McKee, Director of Texas Task Force 1, commented “This calculator is not designed to be a substitute for hands-on swiftwater and flood rescue training, but is one of many tools responders can use on scene to successfully locate and rescue someone swept away by swift-moving water.”

The app costs $0.99 to download.

More information can be found on the TEEX website.