Description:
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) on Twitter communicates with the population through twitter posts. They provide information about regular work days, the types of calls they receive, smaller or larger events, and any information on what has happened during the day. They also provide health information such as how to reduce the risk of heart disease, and instructions about what to do during emergencies. In times of crisis when high call volumes occur, pandemics or other major incidents, they also communicate advice to the public on Twitter. The main contribution of the solution is to inform the public about how to prepare in order to reduce the impact of a crisis and what action to take in order to reduce harm. The posts the WMAS publish regularly also contribute to build a large audience, which is beneficial during crisis when critical messages have to be dispatched to the public. A limitation with the solution is that it only reaches Twitter users, although many posts are picked up by news outlets.
The solution could help to address the following needs of first responders and authorities:
Communicate with or alert citizens
Improve autonomy, coping abilities, and proactiveness of citizens