WhatsApp as Communication Infrastructure in Volunteer-Based EMS

Abstract

Recent geopolitical developments have renewed attention to the need for scalable emergency medical systems capable of operating under conditions of heightened risk. In this work-in-progress paper, we examine how WhatsApp functions as a communication infrastructure in volunteer–professional emergency medical collaboration. Drawing on qualitative interviews and screenshot elicitation across five community sites, we analyze how messaging practices and digital affordances support mobilization, coordination, and situational awareness. The findings indicate that WhatsApp’s interactivity and scalability complement formal dispatch systems by enabling real-time manpower governance, peer-to-peer coordination, and adaptive response calibration. Beyond operational coordination, messaging practices and WhatsApp’s multimediality also support post-incident closure and collective sense-making. The study further shows how communication infrastructures operate in a layered configuration alongside dispatch applications, radio systems, and phone calls, what practitioners describe as a “triangle of technology.” Finally, professional and volunteer roles appear operationally intertwined, particularly within a security-embedded context where medical and security considerations coexist.