Communication and warnings are now seen as a priority in any emergency, but this hasn’t always been the case. With historical roots in military-style command and control, emergency management has undergone massive changes in the last few decades, in response to changing hazards, changing communities and a growing appetite for information. The knowledge and relationships that have formed between researchers and emergency services, from 2003 to the present, are now informing highly effective approaches to emergency communication and warnings and have become a vital tool in informing and evaluating the impact of emergency information.