Major incident - Are you handiprepared?
Find HISCG on Facebook or Follow HISCG on Twitter
The multi-agency group responsible for public safety during a crisis or major incident in the Highlands and Islands officially launched its Facebook and Twitter pages today.
Highlands and Islands Strategic Co-ordinating Group (HISCG), which is chaired by Northern Constabulary Chief Constable George Graham, is one of eight strategic groups in Scotland responsible for emergency planning, resilience and major emergency response and recovery.
Each organisation within the HISCG is also responsible for warning and informing members of the public of potential risks and how they can be better prepared in the event of a major emergency.
Severe weather related disasters, such as storms, gales and flooding, the major pollution of controlled waters, the closure of a lifeline route, the impact of a pandemic disease, are all highlighted as the greatest risks to life, infrastructure, the environment and property in the Highlands and Islands.
HISCG is the first Strategic Co-ordinating Group in Scotland to develop and launch a social media presence.
The sites have been piloted unofficially, for the past six months and online word of mouth has already seen a number of followers sign up to the HISCG "handiprepared" Facebook page and around 140 on Twitter.
HISCG's Twitter and Facebook pages, branded "handiprepared," will feature information on how to be prepared for incidents and risks which could impact on individuals, households, businesses and communities. It will also be used during the emergency and recovery phases of a major incident to give essential information directly to members of the public.
The benefits of following HISCG's Twitter or Facebook pages include getting "real-time" information straight from the agencies involved in dealing with the situation, which could be invaluable to members of the public during a major incident.
And as smart-phone ownership increases so too does the ability to access Twitter and Facebook feeds on the move. More and more people are accessing the web through their phones and social media is now recognised internationally as an essential tool for communicating with people during major emergencies.
Today's launch involved representatives from four member organisations and takes place during National Resilience Week in which the Scottish Government's "Ready for Winter?" Campaign is launched.
The "Ready for Winter?" campaign is designed to encourage each of us to think about how we could be affected, to put in place simple plans and take some easy action that all together will help Scotland be more prepared should we experience severe and or prolonged winter weather.
Chief Constable George Graham, Chief Fire Officer Trevor Johnson and Highland Council Director of TEC Services Neil Gillies were at the Fire and Rescue Service headquarters to give their backing to the launch of the online services.
Speaking at the launch today, Chair of the HISCG, Chief Constable George Graham said: "We are delighted to be able to formally announce the HISCG's "handiprepared" presence on two different social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. Social media allows us all to communicate, directly and immediately with more people than ever before.
"As was demonstrated recently, especially during the riots in England, social media now plays an unprecedented role as a vehicle of public communication. It is essential that the public sector stays ahead of the game with regard to such developments and takes advantage of the opportunities they present to communicate more effectively with our communities.
"We are thankful to have the support of local and national media organisations which help to disseminate important safety messages and appeals to the public for information. Social media doesn't replace these but is an additional tool which helps us to extend our reach to more people using modern communication methods."
Chief Executive at the Highland Council, Alistair Dodds said: "It is important to assure the public that key public agencies are prepared for emergencies, such as severe adverse weather, and getting our message out via social networking is an important new tool in communicating with our communities."
Chief Fire Officer Trevor Johnson, who hosted the launch added: "The importance of having a social media presence should not be underestimated as HIFRS attempts to use all available opportunities to communicate safety messages.
"In addition should a serious incident occur which requires a multi-agency response, it is important that we are able to communicate with as many people as possible.
"Whilst there will always be a place for traditional communication methods such as TV, radio and newspapers, HISCG's social media presence now provides another communication path to educate, inform and effectively, if required, warn the public."
Dr Ken Oates, NHS Highland Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said: "Social media sites such as facebook and twitter can provide up to the minute information that is easily accessed through just the click of a button.
"With more and more people having access to these sites it is important that we take full advantage and I very much welcome the launch today. We will be able to reach a wider audience and provide them with key public health messages."
Find HISCG on Facebook or Follow HISCG on Twitter
Facebook and Twitter sites are also linked from the HISCG handiprepared website