06/02/2026
This works all year round. As many of our trails in the north leave civilization behind you should always be prepared.
FACT: Emergency call centres often cannot detect a caller’s precise location.
In an emergency, identifying exactly where help is needed is critical to getting resources there quickly. This can be nearly impossible if you’re in a remote area with no street address, no obvious landmarks, out on a lake or river, in the woods, or on an unnamed trail. In these moments, emergency services can waste precious time and resources just trying to find you.
Help emergency services find you faster in an emergency by learning how to share your what3words address. what3words has divided the globe into 3m squares and given each one a unique three word identifier. It means any precise location can be communicated with just three words.
For example:
///peppers.introduction.possible, will take you to Bell’s Point Beach Campground in Garden River.
HOW IT WORKS
If you call 9-1-1 and do not know where you are:
1. Open the what3words app and tap the Locate Me icon. The what3words address for your current location will be displayed at the top of the screen.
2. Read out the three words to your emergency call taker. For example if you’re at ///index.home.raft simply say: ‘My what3words address is index home raft’.
3. The emergency service will use the what3words address to see exactly where you are and send help.
The what3words app works offline – ideal for areas with unreliable data connection.
As well as the free app for iOS and Android, what3words is available online at map.what3words.com.
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