3 Alexa features customers used to get help in an emergency

Adam was working from his home office when the Echo device in his office chimed, and he heard this announcement: “Adam, please come help me, I’m in the bathroom.”

His wife Taylor was at the other end of the house. At the time, she was too far away for Adam to hear her call for help and didn’t have her cellphone with her.

Adam rushed to the bathroom, where he found his wife on the floor. Taylor was having a stroke. Adam called for an ambulance, and it transported her to a hospital.

“The doctors told us that they only have three hours to administer the stroke protocol, and we realized we were within 15 minutes of that cutoff,” Adam said. “Had my wife not used Alexa to get my attention, we probably wouldn’t be here to say thank you.”

Penny was home alone one day, hanging curtains. She was standing on her couch when she slipped and fell. She was shocked and afraid to move her leg, certain it was broken.

Penny said, “As I was lying there on the floor, I ran through my options. My cellphone wasn’t within reach, and I wasn’t sure I could move to get it. My husband is a pilot, so he was away for days.”

That’s when Penny thought to use the Echo devices in her home.

“I remembered that Alexa could call my contacts, and so I called out and asked Alexa to call my friend and neighbor Celeste.”

Alexa called Celeste and even gave her access to Penny’s home by activating Penny’s smart lock. Celeste was able to stay on the line with Penny the whole time.

As it turned out, Penny had ruptured her ACL. “Before the accident, I had been appreciative of how useful Alexa was in making my daily life easier, but this incident really reminded me how much safer it can help me feel,” Penny said. “I was so grateful to have Alexa within earshot!”

Read Penny's full story.

David and Cynthia were having a lazy Sunday together when Cynthia fell unconscious.

Using his phone, David called 911 and began administering CPR on his wife. With help on the way, David knew he would need to find a way to let emergency personnel into the house without stopping CPR.

David loves technology and has many devices around his home, including an Alexa-enabled smart lock on his front door.

“I looked up to the Echo Show on the bedside table and said, “Alexa, unlock the front door.” I was able to tell the 911 dispatcher, who was on speakerphone, to tell the first responders that they could come straight into the house,” he said.

David and the first responders rushed Cynthia to the hospital, where they were able to stabilize her condition. Later, Cynthia’s doctor praised David for his continuous CPR.

“The doctor said that less than 5% of people with her condition make it to the hospital alive. Without continuous CPR, he was certain she wouldn’t have made it,” David said.

Both David and Cynthia also expressed gratitude for the Echo devices and Ring cameras throughout their home.

“We use these devices all the time, but we never thought it would be for something like this.”

Read more from David about that day.