QR Code for Phone Numbers: Scan In Case of Emergency

Emergency, as defined by Oxford Language, is a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. It also mean a person with a medical condition needing immediate treatment.

An emergency comes in many forms. According to New York State Department of Health, it can be biological such as diseases or biological weapons; chemical such as chemical spills or chemical weapons; radiological or the release of radiation that could potentially harm people’s health; or weather and home emergencies such as disasters (fire, extreme heat, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, power cuts, poisoning, swallowing objects, and the like).

When faced with situations such as these, the first thing that comes to mind is to call 911. But dialing phone numbers in an emergency situation could take up more of your time. To reach specific agencies in an instant, power your emergency contacts with a QR Code.

QR Code: What it is and How it Works

QR (short term for Quick Response) Code is a type of barcode that comes usually in the form of a square. Inside this shape are lines, dots, or other connecting shapes, and smaller squares commonly known as eyes and eyeballs.

This type of code originates from a Japanese automotive company, inspired by their traditional board game.

Accessing information from a QR Code doesn’t require expensive and specialized gadgets. All you need is your smartphone and a QR Scanner. Just give the QR Code a quick scan and it can direct you to many places in the online (or even offline) world, depending on the purpose of the code.

Why Use QR Codes?

It is versatile. You can use it on any type of activity depending on your purpose: URL, collecting payment and donation, marketing, education, games, and more.

It is cost effective. Creating a simple code does not need you to pay even a cent. In qr-cloud.com for example, they offer a plan where you can generate a QR code definitely for free.

It is time-saving. Imagine, you can just scan a QR Code and you can already call the person or agency you need to call without bothering to scramble on the phone book or directory or go over a long phone number repeatedly to ensure that what you are dialing is correct.

It is eco-friendly. You won’t have to worry about hundreds of trees being sacrificed for a bulky phone directory. In just a piece of paper, you can lay out various QR Codes for different emergency response agencies.

QR Code for Phone Numbers

A QR Code can take you to whatever contact you assign it to. All you have to do is link it to their hotlines or phone numbers.

QR Code for Phone Numbers of Public Services

Here are the top numbers that you can depend on in case an emergency occurs:

Local police department. The police basically enforce the law and maintain safety and order in the community. Is your home or compound under a threat of crime and other illicit activities? Just scan a QR Code and report the situation right away.

Hospital. A hospital’s main responsibility is to identify and diagnose a health problem. If anyone in your house happens to need immediate diagnosis and treatment, then the hospital can be contacted in just a scan.

Family doctor. Unlike specialists, a family doctor can be depended upon on most types of health issues. He or she can assist in the delivery of a baby, or check organs, and monitor a patient’s medical history.

Poison control. Did anyone in your family accidentally swallow something toxic? Scan a QR Code and learn about the first aid procedures in cases like these.

Animal bite center. In some cases, you or a loved one may be bitten by an animal, and you wouldn’t know if it has a history of rabies, or if it is a wild one. You can easily prevent this situation through a scan of a QR Code.

Veterinarian. Even your pets can get in bad shape, and this is where veterinarians are a great help. Keep their contact close with a QR code and you won’t have to worry about the varying conditions of your little buddies.

Local fire department. The local fire department can help you in disasters such as fire and even earthquakes. Keep their contact in a QR Code and stay safe from these disasters.

QR Code for Phone Numbers for Other Home Emergencies

Electric, water, or internet service providers. Sometimes, we encounter minor emergencies such as power outages, water leaks or cuts, and internet connectivity issues. A QR Code can easily link you to their hotline, so that in just one scan, they can easily fix these problems in your home.

School or daycare center. This will be helpful in case you are a working parent to a child who is studying in a school or at a daycare center. Let’s say you have a meeting or sudden engagement and you cannot fetch your child from school. With one scan of a QR Code, you can easily contact the teacher or the daycare worker to inform them of your situation.

Workplace. In case you get sick or something comes up in your home, you can also keep a phone number of your department head or human resource manager in a QR Code, and in one scan, you can already inform them that you cannot come to work.

People you trust. You can also link the contact numbers of your immediate family or your friends in a QR Code, so that contacting them in times of need won’t be burdensome.

Creating a QR Code for Phone Numbers

Websites like qr-cloud.com allow you to create a variety of QR Codes that lead you to contact information in case of emergencies. Here are the steps to generate your QR Code:

1. Go to qr-cloud.com. The website is a user-friendly QR Code generator. It offers different ways to create and customize your scannable codes.
   • Open your account. On the upper right corner of the website, click sign up or sign in.
   • If you are still new to qr-cloud.com, click sign up. This will direct you to a page where you will be required to fill in forms, or sign up using your existing accounts.
   • If you already have an account, click sign in. You can access your account by filling in the email and password forms or by clicking “sign in with Google” or any other accounts connected to qr-cloud.com.
2. Create QR. Once you have successfully opened your account, you will be redirected to the dashboard. Choose the icon that looks like a QR Code and click it. After you land into another page, click “Create QR.”
3. Customize your QR. In “Create QR,” there are forms to fill. You can change the name of your code, choose the type, and even play with colors and styles. The type of code that you can use, particularly for an emergency situation, is SMS.
   • Now let’s not leave behind the people who have a hard time reading. You can actually upload a small photo of an emergency response icon, clipart, or artwork, so that even if people cannot recognize words, they can find out what the agency is by just looking at the small picture. You can use the upload logo feature for this.
4. Scan Test. Giving your code a test scan is essential. It helps you find out if your code will work.

Try it now! If the code works, you can download it, lay it out on a piece of paper, and place it where it can easily be found.

Where to Put these QR Codes

Mobile phones. Mobile phones are the easiest place to store your QR Codes. All you have to do is download it and save it in a folder made for emergency numbers and access it wherever you are.

Wallet. You can also put QR Codes in your wallet, especially if it contains pockets that you can easily flip through.

Easily accessible parts of the house. It can be any part of the house that you go to frequently, like the front door or the fridge.

Final Thoughts

QR Codes are so versatile. You can use it in anything: advancing your agenda, marketing your products, improving teaching-learning, and now, handling emergency situations.

No more worrying and panicking in times when your immediate action is needed. All you have to do is give the QR Code a quick scan and you can easily contact emergency response numbers, hence, preventing bad things from happening.