w3w - Winter Safety Week
The winter season puts emergency rescue teams under increased pressure – and the public is encouraged to follow crucial preparedness advice to stay safe while taking part in outdoor activities.
From Monday 8th until Sunday 14th December, emergency services across the UK are joining forces for a national Winter Safety Awareness Week. It is a great opportunity to highlight PaddleLIVE® to all paddlers globally wanting to head out on the water! PaddleLIVE® includes a partnership with what3words to aid efficient communication of location.
While many will be braving the outdoors to socialise this winter, the shorter days, combined with harsher weather conditions can increase the chances of people finding themselves in trouble.
Download Paddle Logger
Set up PaddleLIVE® - This will allow loved ones to keep an eye on your location and will share an alert with them if you go off course, fail to check in or need help!
Wear appropriate paddle gear - The sun might be out, but the water will be getting colder for many of us! Prepare for the water temperature!
Why location matters
When dealing with an emergency situation, ‘Where is the emergency?’ is one of the first questions asked, but describing exactly where help is needed can be difficult, particularly when under pressure. This is especially true in unaddressed locations such as rural waterways, a remote beach or even off-shore. Visibility in these environments isn’t great at the best of times and due to darkness it is even harder for rescue teams to search for patients.
By dividing the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, and giving each square a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. This means that every grain of sand, section of towpath and piece of coast has its own non-numerical address. The technology is used by over 85% of the UK’s emergency services – police, fire and ambulance – and has become a trusted tool in the global emergency toolkit. Alongside the precision of 6 figure co-ordinates, which play a key part in the PaddleLIVE® system, your location can be effectively communicated to emergency services, whichever co-ordinate systems they prefer.
