2011 was the year that saw civil unrest in the UK (and worldwide) on an unprecedented scale, from the rioting that took place across the country in August to the Occupy London Stock Exchange Movement, which began in October and continues to the present. All-in-all it’s been a testing year for the UK’s frontline services and social media has been instrumental in the organisation of unrest and in responding to members of the public to address their concerns and answer their questions and even for engaging with those people engaged in acts of civil disobedience.

Some frontline services have been praised for their engagement across social media channels, while others have been criticised for their lack of it, but we have noticed that there has yet to be established a forum for discussing the issues and providing thoughts on Best Practice. We would like to put that right and introduce a new initiative for 2012, called BlueLightCamp.

What’s BlueLightCamp?

BlueLightCamp will be a day-long, unconference-style event taking place on Sunday 15th April 2012 between 9am and 5pm at Manchester Central exhibition centre. It will be a free, open and fluidic day of sharing experiences, thoughts and best practice across all Blue Light Services.

We are proudly working in partnership with The British Associated Public-Safety Communications Officers (BAPCO) to deliver this event and it will be taking place before their annual Knowledge Exchange and Development Sessions for Public Safety Communicators, which is taking place on Monday 16th to Tuesday 17th April.

Who Can Attend?

This event is open to all the UK front-line Blue Light Services, including, though certainly not limited to:

  • Fire Services;
  • Police Authorities;
  • Ambulance Services; and
  • Front-line Social Care Providers.

How Many Places are available?

We are hoping to have 170 representatives from Blue Light Services and associated partners present on the day to make this an event to remember. You can sign up for tickets by visiting our eventbrite site and, best of all, it’s totally free! We are expecting a lot of interest in this so best to sign up as quick as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you can spare the time, we would highly recommend sticking around for the BAPCO Knowledge Exchange and Development Sessions on the Monday and Tuesday. There’s more to come at the April show on the Social Media front – the Social Media advice surgery at the exhibition, open to all, and major debate in the Development Sessions for Tuesday delegates.

Join us at BlueLightCamp 2012

Welcome to BlueLightCamp
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