Mobile application "Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus. Help Nearby"

Specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus have developed a mobile application "Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus. Help Nearby", one of the main tasks of which is to assist individuals in effectively responding to emergency situations. Currently, it can be installed by any owner of a modern smartphone or tablet running the Android operating system, and the application is also available to iPhone and iPad users.

Rescuers studied the market for available mobile applications in the country and found that there were none that allowed for quick orientation in non-standard situations. For example, if a thermometer breaks, an accident occurs, a burning forest is seen, or there is a thunderstorm outside. Thus, the application for Belarusian users, "Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus: Help Nearby," was created.

"Five Steps to Rescue" is the principle according to which the application is organized.

In the section "What to Do?" more than 50 potential dangerous situations (downpours, thunderstorms, floods, snowfalls, fires, etc.) are listed, along with recommendations from the Ministry of Emergency Situations on how to behave and act.

The application includes an interactive map, where users can track weather changes, as well as a notification program about adverse and dangerous phenomena from the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Control of Radioactive Contamination, and Environmental Monitoring.

Another important feature is the call button to the Ministry of Emergency Situations "112." People in critical situations often forget the phone numbers of emergency services. Calls can be made from various pages of the application or directly from the section "What to Do?" Rescuers have implemented variability in calls – they added the ability not only to connect with the Ministry of Emergency Situations but also to send SMS or calls to a specified number – for example, to a doctor or relatives. This will allow users to contact the necessary person in emergency situations, which is especially important for individuals with various health conditions. The installation of the number, as well as the ability to change the text of the message, are available in user settings.

The section "Check Yourself" allows users to test their knowledge using the provided tests and compare their answers with the results of other users. Knowledge gaps can be filled in the "Encyclopedia" section, which contains many useful and necessary articles.

There is also a section "First Aid" in the application, equipped with audio prompts for first aid actions. This section was created with the support of the Belarusian Red Cross Society. The training program for first aid skills, which serves as the basis for this section, is accredited by the European Reference Center for First Aid Training of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (Global Methodological Center for First Aid Training of the IFRC).

The application "Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus. Help Nearby" allows every smartphone or tablet owner to stay informed about adverse weather forecasts and have information on how to act in any emergency situation at hand. To download the application, simply enter "Ministry of Emergency Situations" in the Google Play Market search, and our application will be the first in the list.