Whether talking face-to-face, emailing, phoning or tweeting, communication is at the heart of us as people and social media, especially, has become a key part of our daily lives.
London's Metropolitan Police have used social media in protests and emergencies to communicate with the public and in this sort of situation, communication is vital – but so is offering advice and words of wisdom so that emergencies are avoided in the first place.
How, then, do emergency services around Essex use social media to communicate with the public?
The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) uses Facebook and Twitter to publicise its major incidents and publish preventative advice to help inform the public, while a YouTube channel explains why certain events occur.
Christine Connor, Head of Corporate Communications at ECFRS said: "It's part of an integrated campaign.
"We use YouTube to share information – for example we had to set up a hazard zone around a cylinder that stopped trains, so we put up a video that showed what [would] happen when that cylinder would explode."
The ECFRS will also be using some of its staff as official tweeters to give the public an idea of what goes on in roles outside of firefighting, showing the working life of a fire station manager, community safety officer, fire investigation officer and 999 call handlers.
Essex Police use Twitter and Facebook to help the public stay safe at festivals and a number of its officers – from PCSOs to Inspectors – are on Twitter, allowing residents and business owners to connect with the officers who can make a difference in their communities.
It has also been used successfully as part of a network of social media to identify criminals.
A spokesman said: "We have had considerable success in identifying people wanted on warrant through publicity via our force website, Twitter and Facebook.
"At the moment, 47 people have been arrested out of the 98 who have been featured."
Its YouTube channel, which has around 180 videos, shows all manner of police life – one video showcases the new custody suite at Chelmsford police station, another gives safety tips to revellers at the V Festival, while a third catches up with its cold investigations.
East of England Ambulance Service, which covers Essex along with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, uses its social media to gain useful feedback from patients and to publicise its campaigns and shows how vital aspects of the service work.
Recently it tweeted from its control room showing the wide range of 999 calls that it receives – everything from car accidents to people falling over – and also went along with one of its ambulance crews for an afternoon.
Twitter has also helped get trained volunteers – known as community first responders or CFRs - from the local community involved and helping to stabilise patients or give life-saving treatment in the vital few minutes before the ambulance reaches them.
Spokesman Gary Sanderson said: "Our CFR Takeover week was heavily supported on Twitter which led to a record number of people contacting us interested in becoming a CFR."
London's Metropolitan Police have used social media in protests and emergencies to communicate with the public and in this sort of situation, communication is vital – but so is offering advice and words of wisdom so that emergencies are avoided in the first place.
How, then, do emergency services around Essex use social media to communicate with the public?
The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) uses Facebook and Twitter to publicise its major incidents and publish preventative advice to help inform the public, while a YouTube channel explains why certain events occur.
Christine Connor, Head of Corporate Communications at ECFRS said: "It's part of an integrated campaign.
"We use YouTube to share information – for example we had to set up a hazard zone around a cylinder that stopped trains, so we put up a video that showed what [would] happen when that cylinder would explode."
The ECFRS will also be using some of its staff as official tweeters to give the public an idea of what goes on in roles outside of firefighting, showing the working life of a fire station manager, community safety officer, fire investigation officer and 999 call handlers.
Essex Police use Twitter and Facebook to help the public stay safe at festivals and a number of its officers – from PCSOs to Inspectors – are on Twitter, allowing residents and business owners to connect with the officers who can make a difference in their communities.
It has also been used successfully as part of a network of social media to identify criminals.
A spokesman said: "We have had considerable success in identifying people wanted on warrant through publicity via our force website, Twitter and Facebook.
"At the moment, 47 people have been arrested out of the 98 who have been featured."
Its YouTube channel, which has around 180 videos, shows all manner of police life – one video showcases the new custody suite at Chelmsford police station, another gives safety tips to revellers at the V Festival, while a third catches up with its cold investigations.
East of England Ambulance Service, which covers Essex along with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, uses its social media to gain useful feedback from patients and to publicise its campaigns and shows how vital aspects of the service work.
Recently it tweeted from its control room showing the wide range of 999 calls that it receives – everything from car accidents to people falling over – and also went along with one of its ambulance crews for an afternoon.
Twitter has also helped get trained volunteers – known as community first responders or CFRs - from the local community involved and helping to stabilise patients or give life-saving treatment in the vital few minutes before the ambulance reaches them.
Spokesman Gary Sanderson said: "Our CFR Takeover week was heavily supported on Twitter which led to a record number of people contacting us interested in becoming a CFR."