Warwickshire residents being asked to use ‘What3Words’ to help emergency services

What3words has divided the world into three metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three words - what3words address.

For example, ///silver.label.smile will take you to a precise three metre square for Warwick Castle.

If a collision or emergency occurs, callers can give the call handler the three words and this will help dispatch emergency services to the precise location.

The Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership says the app is even more important in rural locations where it is more difficult to communicate a location accurately.

The partnership is raising awareness of the app through a week-long campaign starting today (November 1).

Each day local landmarks and beauty spots along with their what3words address will be posted on the partnership social media on @WarwickshireRoadSafety (Facebook) and @WarksRoadSafety (Twitter) using #what3words.

Residents are asked to comment if they know the local landmark or look the words up on the app to find the location.

The system also works offline.

Cllr Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: “We sincerely hope that this online campaign will help to raise awareness and encourage residents to download the What3Words app and encourage their friends and family to do the same.

"When responding to incidents, the emergency services can sometimes spend critical time and resources working to locate people in need of help.

"Whilst this does not generally stop help arriving, for some patients, What3Words could be the difference between life and death."

Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe said: “We are asking the public to use What3Words to provide the location of a collision when calling the emergency services.

"By enabling the precise location to be pinpointed when emergency services are dispatched, it can save vital time and we hope will save more lives and reduce the seriousness of some injuries, ultimately giving those involved in collisions a better future.”

To report an emergency, always call 999.

If a collision has occurred which does not require an immediate response, it can be reported online at: https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/ro/report/rti/rti-beta-2.1/report-a-road-traffic-incident/