Red Cross

21st Century volunteers

PageOne helps ensure British Red Cross Emergency Response volunteers are deployed quickly and effectively

• Phoning volunteers took time and was labour intensive
• PageOne messaging helps the Red Cross coordinate its response quickly
• Feedback from staff and volunteers is very positive

Volunteers from the British Red Cross Society in the South West and the Channel Islands can now react to emergencies faster than ever, thanks to PageOne messaging technology.

After selecting PageOne as its preferred provider in early 2007, the Red Cross Emergency Response team took full advantage of the comprehensive suite of options available within the system.

In particular, the team established that paging and SMS messaging would complement its existing Area Emergency Plan.

“The first step was a trial period to test the system and prove its resilience and capability to staff and volunteers,” said Emergency Response Assistant John Blake.

“We then produced a training package for our experienced staff and volunteers who manage requests from the emergency services and local authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

“The system has been extremely well received by both staff and volunteers who see it as an enabler, allowing them to respond immediately and effectively.

“For example, it was used to good effect to alert and mobilise additional First Aid volunteers to respond to the very heavy rains during the Glastonbury festival.”

The selection of PageOne followed a comprehensive review of the organisation’s response to calls for assistance from the emergency services and local authorities during major incidents.

“Traditionally a number of volunteers would have phoned around to find out who was available and then make another call to deploy volunteers,” said John. “As you can imagine, even with no interruptions delay was inevitable.”

During the flooding in Gloucestershire in the summer of 2007, the system again proved invaluable in mobilizing teams to support the evacuation of those flooded out and subsequently with the distribution of food and water.

“This use of technology is an invaluable tool. We see it as a ‘First’ in the voluntary sector.”

Plans for emergency response, safety at public events and business continuity all feature in the organisation’s use of the callout system and it is expected that the potential applications will expand.