“What if……” a 3-day interactive radio campaign

UK: On January 12th – 14th 2009, BBC local radio stations will be running an interactive campaign designed to help families prepare for emergencies such as flood, fire, chemical leaks or pandemic flu.

The idea came from BBC audiences and is being driven by Local Radio. At the beginning of 2008 a conference was held called ‘Beyond the Floods’ where the BBC invited Emergency Responders (i.e. Blue Light services, Emergency Planners, Cabinet Office and Utilities like Water, Power, Telecoms, Met Office & Environment Agency) to discuss the lessons identified during the floods of 2007.

One of the main outcomes of that meeting was a consensus between the BBC and the Emergency Responders that the BBC needed to provide warning and informing advice before the next floods not when the water was lapping at the door.

One of the main learning points during the floods of 2007 was the huge number of people who turned to the BBC's web pages for advice – 7.9 million in 2 weeks hit the Radio Gloucestershire site.

The main day is Monday 12th January, when it is hoped to have an exclusive report for Local Radio Breakfast programmes about Cobra, the Cabinet Office briefing room, to kick off the campaign.

The schedule, which will vary from station to station both in timing and content, may also include:

- a ‘What If ‘phone in with Emergency Planners looking at flood preparations and asking the audience what they would do in certain circumstances.

- Drivetime - a quiz about driving in bad weather.

- it will be explained why messages such as 'Don’t panic' are regarded by some fire chiefs as being out of date and why they could endanger lives.

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