The ‘what3words’ service is being used to help Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) to find a person’s exact location in an emergency situation.
What3words divides the world in to 3x3 metre squares, giving each square a unique three-word address. These words could be as simple as Table. Chair. Fish.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service used the location software only recently to locate a car fire, after the caller had identified that he was able to provide three words to help provide a precise location.
Lisa Adamson, Crew Manager, Control, said: “The what3words service is a really useful tool in identifying someone’s location, and it’s definitely a service that we envisage using more of, particularly if someone is unsure of where they are.
“In an emergency situation, people don’t tend to take note of where they are due to shock and adrenaline, so the service really helps HFRS to identify a more precise location, allowing crews to potentially arrive at the scene more quickly.”
The coordinates used within what3words link through to a GPS map, providing directions to the location. The app works offline too, so callers can find a three-word address of a location without a data connection.
Visit what3words.com for more information, or search for what3words within Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS to download the app.