First Aid Is You - the online platform for self-reliance in Groningen.

Industry

Government

Services provided

Web design WordPress development

Making Groningers more self-reliant in emergencies: the ambition of Veiligheidsregio Groningen. In collaboration with RTRN and Upside, Veiligheidsregio Groningen developed the website eerstehulpbenjij.nl to empower residents with information and practical tips to prepare for emergencies.

Be Prepared for an emergency

“Be prepared.” That’s the essence of the campaign. Earthquakes, wildfires, cyberattacks, severe weather, terrorism—you name it. There are many emergencies to consider. With handy checklists, the right supplies at home, and collaboration with neighbors, you ensure you’re prepared.

Accessible to Everyone

The custom WordPress website is fully accessible according to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, meaning it’s usable for people with disabilities. This is a requirement for government websites, but ideally, every website should meet this standard. Thus, the website works well with screen readers and keyboards.

For yourself and together with your neighbors

It’s wise to prepare your home and immediate surroundings well. But by collaborating with your neighborhood, you enhance collective self-reliance. Perhaps that one neighbor has a chainsaw in case a tree falls. Or maybe the woman across the street recently completed a first aid course. By forming a neighborhood team and creating a community plan together, you ensure the best preparation.

Find neighborhood teams or meetings with the handy Postal Code Checker

What activities are happening in your area? Are there upcoming meetings? Or can you join an existing neighborhood team? To easily and quickly find activities nearby, we’ve developed a postal code checker. Enter your postal code and see all activities within a 5-kilometer radius. To make this possible, we perform an API call to the postal code database from Ezcmd.

When you're looking for a reliable partner to help realize a brand-new concept, what do you do? Exactly: you ask around in your network. Marleen Hanenberg, communication advisor at Safety Region Groningen, explains: "Through a communication agency we collaborate with, we came across Upside. We immediately scheduled a meeting." That turned out to be the right move. "The contact was very pleasant from the beginning, and they responded enthusiastically to our plans. That gave us a good feeling." One of the challenges within the assignment was the strict set of requirements. Marleen elaborates: "As a government organization, we have various requirements in terms of safety and accessibility. The website must be accessible to all people; including blind, visually impaired, or deaf individuals, for example. This requires specific expertise from the web developer." Upside has that expertise covered. "We had full confidence in their knowledge in that area, and that confidence proved to be more than justified." According to Marleen, the key added value of the collaboration? "They keep their promises, respond quickly, and are to-the-point. Moreover, they are very transparent in their communication; they do what they say and vice versa. In short: you can truly rely on them; and that works very pleasantly."

Marleen Hanenberg Veiligheidsregio Groningen