Business owners in Yorkshire and the Humber are being given free advice through a new online service on how to deal with a range of emergency situations to ensure that their enterprises are able to cope during major events.
The new artificial intelligence tool has been launched to provide interactive conversations for businesses across the region about how to prepare for emergencies ranging from flooding, fires and extreme weather to power outages, cyber-attacks and pandemics.
Using an artificial intelligence chatbot, the online tool will allow businesses to have real-time, two-way conversations about emergency preparedness.
Launched this week, the tool will initially be offered to businesses throughout North, West, South Yorkshire and the Humber through a website.
Members of the public can also use it to talk about emergency awareness through the interactive website and QR codes.
The Mayor of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, David Skaith, who owns a clothing store in York, said: “I’m pleased to see local resilience forums coming together to develop this app. In emergency situations businesses are at the forefront of how we respond as a community and this tool will support businesses across Yorkshire and beyond to be prepared and ready for emergencies together.
“We’ve seen how businesses across Yorkshire responded to the Covid-19 pandemic so we know there’s a strong tradition of being resilient and adapting. Through this tool businesses will be able to identify what measures they can take to reduce the impact of disruptions – whether that is a power cut during a storm, flooding, disruption to supply chains due to issues with the road networks, a mains water emergency, or a cyber-attack.
“It is important that we engage with businesses, and later residents, in different ways and we hope this initiative will spark some great conversations about emergency planning, preparedness and awareness.”
All conversations and insights gathered are anonymous and no personal information is recorded or held. There is also no need to download any apps or fill out any registration forms.
The project is being supported by the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the South Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, the East Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum and the Humber Local Resilience Forum.
Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are multiagency partnerships that include representatives from all the local organisations needed to plan and prepare for local incidents and emergencies.
Partners include local authorities, emergency services, health, utilities and communications providers and government agencies and departments.
In a survey conducted in October 2023 on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber LRFs, 63 per cent of the respondents felt community resilience to emergencies is worth aiming for.
However, 78 per cent of respondents felt that the lack of information and awareness about risks and how to prepare was the biggest barrier holding their community back from becoming more emergency ready.
Visit www.yorkshirereadytogether.co.uk to find out more and join the conversation about ensuring businesses are prepared for emergency situations.
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