Bingo de what3words

OPALCO and Orcas Island Fire & Rescue are partnering to bring you an exciting event in August – what3words Bingo!

This August, we are encouraging San Juan County community members to get familiar with what3words through an interactive Bingo adventure!

what3words is an app and website that makes it simple to provide a precise location to someone, whether it is to share a meeting spot with a friend or to tell responders where you are in an emergency. It works in quite a simple way – it has divided the world into 10-foot by 10-foot squares and has assigned a unique combination of three words to each square. Every single location in San Juan County has its own unique three-word address, including remote hiking trails and hidden coves. For example, OPALCO’s Eastsound office front door is ///smoked.toast.dormant.

Many areas in the county do not have street addresses, reliable cell coverage or internet access, or easily accessible roads and trails. what3words tackles those problems. what3words is free and works even if you are offline by using your phone’s GPS services. You can save useful or frequented spots in the app to access them easily whenever you need to. Not to mention, this tool has practical and fun applications as well! Want to mark your favorite part of a trail, or a great fishing spot? Parking in a big parking lot and don’t want to forget where your car is? Save the three words as a ‘favorite’ in the app and revisit it again and again!

In emergencies, precise location isn’t just helpful – it can be lifesaving. Download the what3words app on your mobile device and practice with your new tool by participating in what3words bingo!

How to Play

Using the Bingo board on the next page (printed copies can also be picked up at the OPALCO Eastsound office and the Orcas Island Fire & Rescue headquarters), type in the three words on each square to discover its location. Once you know which locations to visit, plan out your bingo route! Are you going to stay within Eastsound, or the West side of Orcas Island? Or are you going to go big and go for a full bingo board black out?

Once you know which bingo you are going for, you can start your adventure! Visit each 10-foot by 10-foot square in your bingo sequence and take a picture with the sign or landmark that you are directed to. Once you’ve completed your bingo, bring your board and your photos to the OPALCO office or the OIFR office to claim your prize!

You can complete your bingo any time during the month of August, but if you want to submit yours for some cool prizes, you can stop by the Eastsound OPALCO office or the OIFR Headquarters from August 17 through August 21. OPALCO office hours are Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm and the OIFR office hours are Monday-Friday 9:30am-4pm.

If you get a bingo, you get to choose a prize! OPALCO and OIFR will have some great safety related goodies for you to choose between, and all who participate are eligible to receive a prize. If you complete the entire bingo board (blackout), you can come in to claim your swag bag, which features one of every prize available!

For questions or to arrange an alternative pick up time for your bingo prizes, email bingo@orcasfire.org.

Happy adventuring! We can’t wait for you to test out and feel comfortable using the what3words app!