Why is it in the public interest to work together?

Central and Local Government and the BBC agree that it is essential for the public to have access to accurate information, before the rumour machine takes over.

• Over several decades, the public have been used to instant information from BBC Local Radio. Technology gives access to more channels of communication than ever before. The arrival of 24-hour radio and television news fuels public expectation.
• The public now demands to be kept informed. They want to tune in and find out quickly what is happening when their communities are in trouble.
• Emergency planners are expected to play their part in the communication process and not leave it to public relations officers. But it is still rare for them to engage in detailed planning at a local level with the Media.
• During the first two critical hours of an incident, essential information, warnings, advice and reassurance can be hard to come by. When emergency services and other agencies are working flat out, the importance of communicating effectively with the public can be easily forgotten.
• The BBC's response is motivated by a whole-hearted desire to meet the public's needs. But the service the BBC provides can only be as good as the information it is given.
• Imagine how much better the service could be if, as the deliverers of information, broadcasters worked more closely with the people who can provide that information.
• A Joined up approach was evident in the way that BBC Radio Cornwall was able to work with emergency responders to inform and provide crucial information to local residents on the flash flooding as it affected Boscastle and implications for the rest of the country.

Steve Winston the County Emergency Planning Officer for Cornwall spoke of the benefits of the relationship on the day:-

"Radio Cornwall were tremendously helpful. They helped us reunite families and keep people safe".