Andreas Andersson is one of approximately 8,400 volunteer heart and lung rescuers in Halland, despite lacking a background in healthcare. He completed an HLR course within the Home Guard and subsequently joined the SMS-livräddare app. He has been the first responder several times when a person was found lifeless, but due to patient confidentiality, he does not learn the outcomes of those he attempts to save. Since Region Halland adopted the SMS-livräddare app in 2021, the number of volunteer rescuers in Halland has risen by about 1,500 each year.
The SMS-livräddare app, which began in 2010 and was first introduced in Stockholm, requires volunteers to be over 18 years old and possess knowledge of heart-lung resuscitation. Today, there are over 150,000 volunteer SMS-livräddare registered across Sweden. The app is available in 16 regions: Blekinge, Dalarna, Halland, Gävleborg, Jämtland Härjedalen, Jönköping, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Skåne, Stockholm, Sörmland, Västmanland, Västra Götaland, and Östergötland. Implementing the app costs a region approximately 480,000 kronor, with annual maintenance fees of about 770,000 kronor.
It remains unknown how many lives have been saved by SMS-livräddare in Halland specifically or what the success rate is compared to traditional emergency services. Additionally, plans for expanding the app to all Swedish regions are unclear.