ALLENTOWN, PA — Allentown is marking the first anniversary of a gas explosion that killed five people. While the city has dealt with explosions before, technology brought the blast at 13th and Allen streets closer to home for many emergency workers.

After being held at gunpoint on the streets of Washington D.C., Shayan Pahlevani decided to take action.

People looking for information on a natural disaster or other emergency anywhere in the world can now stay abreast of the latest details courtesy of Google Maps. The new Public Alerts page, which Google is launching today, aims to keep you informed of emergency alerts for floods, tornadoes, winter storms, and other dangers that may be headed your way. The idea is tell...

FARMINGTON, NM — At least two people in Farmington, N.M., are glad that checking text messages has become standard operating procedure for many emergency workers in the area.

When a construction crew inadvertently cut through fiber-optic cables in St. Louis Park, Minn., last summer, things could have been catastrophic. With the city’s public safety answering points (PSAPs) out of commission, it might not have been possible to field emergency calls — but service resumed rather quickly.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee introduced a bill Tuesday that would provide $300 million to research the creation of a national public safety broadband network.

WESTERN PA — Emergency management agencies are taking a regional approach to public safety in western Pennsylvania, as 10 counties plan to use a shared next-generation 911 system by early 2013.