Our founder and COO, Camilo Salazar, was interviewed by journalist Iván Núñez on his program Universo Emprendedor. During the conversation, Camilo talked about VIPER’s origins, our mission to transform emergency management in Chile and Latin America, and the expansion plans taking us to markets such as Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Colombia.
Here are the highlights of the interview:
The origin of VIPER
Camilo explained that the idea for VIPER came about ten years ago, when he and his partner were firefighters and saw the need to receive emergency alerts on their mobile phones. Back then, pagers (popularly known as beepers in Chile) were firefighters’ main tool, but they had the drawback of beeping constantly. That gave rise to the idea of a digital platform that would notify personnel only when necessary.
“We thought it would be ideal to receive alerts on our phones. Ten years ago that wasn’t so common, but today it seems completely logical,” Camilo explained.
How our software works
VIPER has evolved into a comprehensive dispatch and emergency management solution, cloud-based and accessible from anywhere in the world.
- For fire departments: when you dial 132, the dispatch center that answers uses VIPER’s software. It shows the location of vehicles, their availability and the number of firefighters on hand. The system suggests which units to dispatch depending on the type of incident (collision, fire, gas leak, etc.). Once confirmed, the corresponding companies are notified automatically.
- For companies and institutions: emergency plans are digitized, so that in incidents such as power outages, floods or industrial accidents, predefined protocols and tasks are activated for each person involved. With VIPER, improvisation is avoided and response time is reduced.
Coverage in Chile and international outlook
VIPER currently supports a large number of fire departments in Chile, covering around 75% of the population. The platform also already operates in Peru and Ecuador, and expects to establish itself soon in Mexico and Colombia.
“Our Software as a Service (SaaS) model lets us implement it in a matter of hours. We are also a solution that understands the Latin American reality, at a more affordable cost than European or US alternatives,” Camilo highlighted.
The importance of coordination in emergencies
One of the most relevant topics in the interview was the coordination needed in large-scale events, such as the recent massive blackout in Chile. Camilo stressed that at such times it is essential to have defined action plans and reliable systems to carry them out. VIPER played a crucial role in keeping response teams informed, especially at fire department dispatch centers, which have backup systems so they keep operating during power failures.
Innovation and resilience in the region
During the interview, Camilo highlighted the growing need in Latin America to professionalize and digitize emergency management. That is exactly what VIPER aims to do:
- Robustness: cloud infrastructure and 24/7 support.
- Flexibility: protocols adapted to different contexts (industry, healthcare institutions, residential buildings, etc.).
- Scalability: from managing a single city to entire countries, thanks to the SaaS license.
Conclusion
The interview with Iván Núñez showed how far VIPER has come, as well as the new challenges ahead. For all of us at the company, it is a source of pride to keep contributing to safety and timely emergency response in Chile and beyond.
If you would like to know more about how VIPER can help your organization handle emergencies effectively, contact us. We are ready to work with you and take crisis management to the next level!