The TL;DR for my Emergency Contact Twilio Hackathon Project
Tags: twiliohackathon, serverless, azure, python
Published: 2020-04-23 21:44:46

---
title: The TL;DR for my Emergency Contact Twilio Hackathon Project
published: true
description: Important information is just a text away
tags: twiliohackathon, serverless, azure, python
cover_image: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hayleycd/in_case_of_emergency/master/pictures/cover.png
---

This is the highlights, the headlines, the TL;DR of my Twilio Hackathon project, _In Case of Emergency_. You can read the full article [here](https://dev.to/hayleydenb/flexible-and-extensible-emergency-contact-information-with-twilio-and-azure-functions-kom).

>**_Everyone_ should make sure that their emergency contact information and important medical details are up to date and accessible in an emergency (AKA right now).**


# My application

Introducing [_In Case of Emergency_](https://github.com/hayleycd/in_case_of_emergency), the Twilio app that makes it easy to keep emergency contact information up to date! I can also customize my information, making sure not to leave out anything that would be important in an emergency.

## Technologies

My application uses the following:
- A [Twilio account](https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio/?utm_campaign=ahoy-from-hayley-denbraver) and a paid Twilio [phone number](https://www.twilio.com/sms/?utm_campaign=ahoy-from-hayley-denbraver) set up to receive SMS messages
- An [Azure account](https://azure.microsoft.com/) and an [Azure Functions](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/functions/) app 
- [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) including the [Python](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python) and [Azure Functions](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions) extensions
- Twilio's [Python SDK](https://www.twilio.com/docs/libraries/python/?utm_campaign=ahoy-from-hayley-denbraver)
- I used [Black](https://github.com/psf/black) to format my python files. 

## Features

_In Case of Emergency_ provides the following via text to emergency personnel or a Good Samaritan who finds you in need:
- Medically relevant information(allergies, known conditions, blood type, anything that you personally would want a doctor to know in an emergency)
- Medications and any relevant dosing information
- Names and phone numbers of your emergency contacts 

Best of all, you can keep all of your information current by editing the relevant environment variables in Azure Functions. You can always add an item to your list of meds. You can remove an item from your medical details when it is no longer relevant (for instance: pregnancy, injury, ). Add and edit contacts with ease.  

## Try it out!
I want to share the project with the DEV community, but I _do not_ want y'all to have access to my medical details or my emergency contacts. Boundaries are healthy. :wink:

But you don't have to take my word for it that the project works. I have set up a sample phone number and PIN (distinct from my actual emergency number and PIN) that is tied to data that is not personal. You can text the sample number yourself and see how the tool works. 

__1. Text '12358' to 1-206-312-4357. If you don't send this code to the number, all it will do is instruct you to follow directions on the ID.__

__2. Text 'meds', 'contacts', 'details', or 'shameless' to get further information.__

>__Texting 'shameless' will give you information on how to connect with me. I am currently on the job market for a Developer Advocate role and if you like my style, let's connect.__ 

This is what will show up on your phone when you follow the above instructions! 

![Screenshot of my phone utilizing the texting app. I sent the pin and got instructions back on how to navigate the information.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/kxb0250256a65zwe23vh.jpg)

## Get your own
Read my [full post](https://dev.to/hayleydenb/flexible-and-extensible-emergency-contact-information-with-twilio-and-azure-functions-kom) for information on how to deploy your own Emergency Contact system using Twilio and Azure Functions. 

# Final thoughts
Thanks to Twilio and the DEV community for hosting this hackathon. I would love for this project to be considered for either the COVID communications or the X-factor category.

And to the DEV community, please be safe and well whether you are coding, sewing masks, taking care of loved ones, playing Animal Crossing, baking bread, or any or all of the above. Remember to take breaks and be kind to yourselves. This too, shall pass.