The opportunities offered by information technology in improving emergency preparedness and supporting people during emergencies have been explored in limited ways. Designing effective solutions requires to take into proper account that emergencies put people in a particular state of mind and often also in difficult physical situations. In our research, we use the term emergency in its broadest sense. Examples of emergencies we are interested in include (but are not limited to) situations such as an aircraft accident, a fire in a building, an imminent heart attack or other life-threatening health event, an earthquake or other disaster hitting a populated area, a bank robbery. Moreover, we do not only consider professional emergency responders as our users but everybody who is involved in emergencies and may use information technology, including victims and any member of the general public.