Hertfordshire fire and rescue chiefs are urging day trippers and residents who head off the beaten track this summer to download the what3words app to ensure they can be found as quickly as possible in the event of an emergency.

Heading out to the countryside to enjoy the shade of woodland, the coolness of a river or the views of the open countryside is tempting in the midst of the ongoing heatwave.

But for those who unexpectedly need the help of the emergency services, it can be hard to give an address or postcode – or to even describe a rural location.

So now officers at the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service are urging residents to download the what3words app.

What3words is a global location system that divides the world into three-metre squares.

And each of those squares is a unique address, made of three random words.

As a result, it enables users to find specific locations to within three metres, even if those areas would not otherwise have a clear address.

Area commander Wayne Gibbons, who is head of operational response for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, says what3words is particularly useful for those calling the service from country parks or countryside.

He says that without an accurate address – or the use of what3words – callers can sometimes struggle to give an accurate location.

And that, he says, can slow the response of emergency services – in situations where every second can have an impact on the size of a fire or the success of a rescue.

What3words, he says, can be an "effective and efficient" way of locating an individual's position, to within three metres.

And as well as being useful to call operators, he says hand-held data devices can then be used by firefighters on the ground to navigate to the exact area.

"There are lots of people who lose track of where they are," said area commander Gibbons.

"And without what3words we are reliant on the questions asked by the service's highly skilled call operators – and on people being able to see landmarks.

"Using what3words is a simple way of enabling the emergency services to reach those people who are most in need of our help and reducing the time to get there.

"What3words enables us to answer with the right crew, with the right resources and as quickly as possible.

"And it can be that if we are called to an emergency, every second can count."

As the heatwave continues, Area Commander Gibbons is also keen to reinforce more general advice to keep residents safe over the summer.

Between 200 and 2025, the Service attended 120 water-related incidents – in which 21 lives were lost.

As well as downloading the what3words app, the fire service has advised residents to stay clear of the water's edge and stick to marked paths.

They advise that mobile phones should be charged, poorly lit routes avoided and extra care taken after any rainfall.

With a number of rural fires already recorded during the heatwave, area commander Gibbons is also urging residents not to have BBQs or open fires in the countryside – other than in designated BBQ areas.

And he is urging smokers to extinguish cigarettes and to dispose of them properly and carefully, to avoid any risk of fire.

"We want people to enjoy rural areas, but to be mindful," he said.