Using technology, Pahlevani came up with a solution to help people report crimes easily with the push of a button.

The answer came in the form of an app for smartphones. Pahlevani’s mobile solution, called CrimePush, became available on Feb. 1 on iTunes.

According to Forbes, CrimePush puts crime reporting in the hands of users and allows people to rapidly report the details of the crime to authorities.

The app is devised to report a crime it occurs, and witnesses can send authorities texts, photos, sound and video.

Additionally, the app is said to be designed to report crimes anonymously. The concept behind the app is to allow individuals to empower themselves and help facilitate reporting crimes to law enforcement officials.

“There are often tense situations when calling the police is not an option. There are other times when inconvenience or fear of reprisal prevents one from reporting an incident,” said co-founder, Eman Pahlevani. “Featuring the ability to take a photo, record video and audio, and provide a description of the incident, citizens can now be assured that their phone has the capability to alert family, friends, and the authorities at the push of a button, should a threat arise.”

The company says this app will enable people to swiftly report crimes rather than ignore them. An example used by the company was situations where individuals witness crimes, but do not stop and take the time to report what was observed. Or, according to the CrimePush makers, “there are other times when personal security is at stake and there is no discreet method of alert.”

Using high school and college students as an example, CrimePush says this app is useful for students coming home late at night, or victimized by hazing, drug use or bullying.

“Opening a new channel via a mobile application, youth populations will be more motivated to provide crime tips and informants will have better tools utilizing a phone’s built-in technology to capture audio, image, or video evidence,” Pahlevani said.

It appears there are mixed feelings about the app between would-be users and police.

In Missouri, the St. Peters Police Department tested out the app and, according to KMOV, the results received were not what was “expected.”

“When our dispatcher downloaded the app and she entered in a complaint and pressed ‘send,’ it got lost in cyberspace somewhere,” Melissa Doss, St. Peters Police Department official, said. “There’s a connection missing and I want residents to know that this is not an app to use yet, to report any type of crime because help will not come to you.”

“I’m a big fan of its simplicity and definitely feel safer knowing that there’s a faster way to get crime reported,” said Mameeza Hossain. “It not only strengthens me, but makes me feel a lot more secure,” told WJLA.

It’s not yet as fast as dialing 9-1-1, however the app’s developers say this will be addressed as the company integrates the service with police departments. The St. Peters Police Department indicated they liked the idea, but feel “it is not ready for people to rely on.” Currently dialing 9-1-1 is the most efficient way to report, say police.

Users placed warnings on the iTunes app’s page because the app is not fully integrated with police departments. One reviewer said, “Good idea, reckless execution.” Others warned not to use the app since it is not functional.

CrimePush has added a disclaimer stating the app is not yet fully operational and makes a plea for users’ help to make this happen. The statement also says:

“By downloading this application, you understand and agree to these terms: The CrimePush application is NOT linked, NOR connected to any police, medical, or law-enforcement authority as of yet. By using this application at this time, you will not be assisted for any and all emergencies or crime-reports submitted. NO police department, medical emergency unit, or law enforcement agency will receive a distress message from this application. This is a Beta version that should ONLY be used by potential partners or clients to TEST the utility and user-friendliness of the application. should an emergency arise, you should dial 911.”

CrimePush plans to partner with high schools, law enforcement agencies, colleges and international mobile carries.

CrimePush is patent pending, and the free app can currently be downloaded on Android’s Marketplace and the iTunes store. Just keep in mind, the app is in Beta and not going to work properly at this time.

Read the story here.

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 you what’s happening, when and where the disaster may hit, how severe it will be, and what resources are around to help you, according to a Google blog post.

You can search for a specific item by going directly to Google Mapsand typing the name and location of the potential disaster. For example, typing “winter storm alaska” displays “Winter Storm Warning in Northern Alaska” at the top of the search results with a “more info” link that you can click on to view the full details.

You can also go directly to the Public Alerts page to view of a list of current emergency warnings throughout the world. Each warning is displayed on the map as a hotspot, which you can hover over or click on to view more information.

Either way, clicking on a particular emergency reveals all the details as compiled by the Google Crisis Response team from various government resources. You’ll find the latest news on the disaster or crisis along with recommendations on what you should do to protect yourself.

Since this is Google’s first attempt at providing this type of emergency information, the company is asking users to respond with any suggestions by clicking on the “Provide feedback” link at the bottom of the Public Alerts page.

Read the story here.

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.

In October 2011, a car rolled over into a ditch, trapping two people inside the vehicle. 911 was called, but the operator read the wrong address over the two-way radios that firefighters use to respond to calls. But since the incident details also were typed and sent simultaneously as text messages to first responders, one rescuer noted the error and re-routed units to the correct location — saving the trapped motorists from further harm.

For years the Farmington Fire Department has been using the software that converts emergency calls to texts. The software, called Remote Print Manager (RPM), was developed by Brooks Internet Software. While the call-to-text technology sounds rudimentary, having the system in place allows paramedics and emergency personnel to rely less on the radio and serves as a backup alerting method.

Mark Mordecki, a firefighter with the Farmington Fire Department, explained that the department was having communications problems because the radio frequency bands they were using began filling up with chatter from other agencies. Although some trucks also have mobile data terminals (MDTs) that give incident details to users in electronic form, the units go down at times.

So the department looked into technology that would push 911 call data to responders’ cellphones. The technology initially was seen as a backup system. But the idea quickly found favor among paid and volunteer fire crews because they no longer would have to carry pagers or radios and instead could respond via text that they are responding to a call.

“It’s a godsend for them, because they didn’t have this capability before,” Mordecki said. “They didn’t give radios to everybody, they just gave pagers. And at night, alarms don’t go off. They just get a text message.”

How it Works Now

The call-to-text system essentially is automated. A 911 call goes into a countywide 911 center, and as the operator is finished typing the call into the record, the information is sent as a text file into a server that every few seconds gets pinged by the fire department’s network, looking for new data.

That data is run through RPM, which filters out extra spaces and information that the responders don’t need. Once complete, the information is condensed into a text file that is then emailed to responders as a text message.

Previously data transmitted from the 911 operator would go to a fire department printer, which would generate a “rip-and-run” sheet that responders could tear off before going out to a call.

The change to text-based messaging has made operations more efficient, particularly since the texts can be sent out to different departments, depending on the district the emergency is in.

“That made it really convenient because we have 12 districts around here,” Mordecki said. “Only that district gets the text messages that pertain to them, so they’re not bothered by something that doesn’t matter to them.”

The Farmington Fire Department is also seeing some financial gains. According to Mordecki, RPM was a one-time $500 investment. Although an email distribution program is needed to use the software, he called spending the $500 “nothing” compared to the expense of purchasing radios.

“We don’t have to go out there and give everyone pagers or take-home radios that cost $1,000 apiece,” Mordecki explained. “We can send out text messages to everyone in the department at no to little cost and save thousands of dollars.”

Read the story here.

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.

PSAP traffic was rerouted to neighboring Minnetonka with only a 30-minute lapse in service. “That’s fantastic for an unplanned event,” said PSAP Manager Lt. Lori Dreier.

St. Louis Park pulled off this save thanks to a decision a year earlier to convert its telecommunications infrastructure to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). With its portability, cost savings and the promise of enhanced functionality, Internet-based telephony is becoming the de facto choice in jurisdictions whose PSAPs are approaching the end of their five- to seven-year life cycle.

PSAP on the Move

The best reason to convert to VoIP may well be the obsolescence of existing 911 call centers. The technology driving these centers has not changed significantly in decades, and is now so far behind the times that upgrading existing infrastructure is impractical.

Meanwhile, VoIP has a range of advantages, chief among these being the portability it offers PSAP operators. Should an emergency call center find itself on the run from a natural disaster or other forces, the ability of an Internet-based system to shift calls to an alternate location can literally be a lifesaver.

Keith Lee, deputy director for the Spartanburg County, S.C., Communications/911 Department, said VoIP technology allows him to use a laptop as an alternate 911 system from any location with Internet access. “As long as the IP address is identified, that central office information can be relayed to us anywhere,” he said.

That portability has its corollary in expandability. The county’s $700,000 Positron Viper system typically supports 20 positions, but it could readily swell to 300 users, Lee said. That has implications for neighboring jurisdictions. “We’ve discussed partnering with a neighboring county that’s much smaller than [we are] and has limited revenue,” Lee said. “We have the ability to host that other county’s entire operations because of this IP-based solution.”

In Arkansas, VoIP’s portability was road-tested in an emergency situation and received high marks. When massive snowstorms threatened the state in January 2011, IT leaders, fearing the worst, stood up an IP phone network in the Department of Information Systems Call Center. Using previous experience from VoIP deployments around the state, they got the job done in just 48 hours.

Using the same type of VPN connections available to other agency support staff, call center personnel handled hundreds of calls from their homes during the worst of the weather, delivering uninterrupted service. “We knew technically that it would work,” said Arkansas CTO Claire Bailey, “and we used this weather incident to show how quickly it could be done and how well it could work.”

Rich Content

If emergency VoIP has passed the portability test, a larger challenge still looms.
Among its other virtues, IP telephony in a PSAP holds the promise of vastly enriched content. Under a scheme known broadly as next-generation 911, call centers soon will be able to receive text, photo and video messages.

There’s clear potential there. Advocates point to the hypothetical example of a kidnap victim who cannot speak but can text, or a robbery victim photographing the getaway car.

It’s a tempting vision, but we’re not there yet. The National Emergency Number Association is still developing standards, and until that happens, PSAP operators need to tread cautiously. “It’s extremely complex, with lots of moving parts,” said Lee Mayhew, senior account executive with Internet telephony provider Fonality.

For those not already transitioning to VoIP, the most important consideration will be the need to incorporate session initiation protocol (SIP) into any new system. “While the standards have not officially arrived, we are very, very close,” Mayhew said. “We know it’s going to be voice over IP and it’s going to be based on open SIP standards.”

For the careful planner, this shouldn’t present a major hurdle. “Virtually every major VoIP provider has jumped on the SIP train,” he said. “Everybody has admitted SIP has won this battle and so they have an open standard SIP offering.”

Not everyone is on board yet, however. Some jurisdictions already make rich data available to emergency dispatchers using proprietary systems or off-the-shelf products from vendors that don’t embrace SIP.

But working without standards comes with myriad perils, including the potential to fall short of regulatory requirements. “You can get it today, but what about the PSAP across the highway that you’re required to transfer information into seamlessly?” Mayhew said. “Maybe they don’t have it, or maybe they got it from someone else.”

Making the Leap

If proprietary packages stymie intercommunications, standardized VoIP implementations should do just the opposite — and that would be a big step forward from the present scenario. “Right now, there is virtually no way for most PSAPs to interact with each other without having some dedicated facility to tie their systems together,” said Stephen J. Wisely, director of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, a trade group. “Any IP broadband network will tie agencies together more easily.”

Using Internet-based systems, 311 calls could spill over to 911 during heavy volume. Alarm company alerts could feed directly into a PSAP. “Everything has an IP address nowadays, so that’s the key thing,” Wisely said.

That doesn’t mean the transition to VoIP will necessarily be easy. Wisely pointed to the simple matter of power supply as an example. VoIP phones must draw juice either from an Internet connection or appropriate wall jack. And while that isn’t an extraordinary piece of engineering, he said, “it really does require a different mindset.”

For Spartanburg County’s Lee, the surest way to deliver VoIP-based emergency services to his 287,000 constituents has been to solicit buy-in from all of the key players. “We had the administrative office people who look at records information. We had the operators who utilize it. We had the whole staff involved,” he said. All this participation up front “makes it a lot easier for the dispatchers to accept change.”

Assuming that one can get support from throughout the organization, most jurisdictions still may find themselves hindered by the budget hurdle.

Replacing a PSAP with VoIP can cost 10 to 50 percent more than swapping in another traditional system, said James Cavanagh, a 911 consultant for The Consultant Registry, a consortium of telecommunications professionals.

While there can be long-term savings, upfront spending may be required for new servers and routers; a parallel backup system; and the possibility of having to run two systems simultaneously during the transition.

Even then, a VoIP PSAP likely will not resolve the biggest telecommunications concern plaguing emergency responders today: the challenge of location awareness in VoIP.

The Internet is indifferent to geography, therefore 911 centers typically have been unable to pinpoint the exact location of VoIP-based emergency calls. Although the FCC has been working on the problem, issues persist — issues that a PSAP overhaul likely won’t solve.

The problem begins at the means of throughput — specifically the loss of the old copper wire. Unlike copper, VoIP phone lines “are location agnostic, and typically provide the location of the call server, which may or may not be where the caller is located,” Mayhew said. “We have to solve the location-data problem at the source of the communication, not at the endpoint, the PSAP. Having a VoIP-enabled PSAP will not provide location data that was never there in the first place.”

Read the story here.

The Public Safety Broadband Network Enabling Act from ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) would fund the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for research, development and standards activities to enable the creation of the public safety network.

The payroll-tax bill approved by the House on Tuesday included spectrum legislation from Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) that would set aside the D Block of spectrum for public safety and use $6.5 billion of spectrum auction revenue to fund the network.

But Edwards and Johnson argued that the Republican measure fails to include any guarantee that important research and development work will take place.

“The proposal considered by the House today falls short of what is needed,” Johnson said. “Any legislation to create a public safety broadband network should include responsible research and development provisions. The failure to include such provisions puts the success of the entire public safety broadband network at risk.

NIST would be authorized to research and help develop technologies that would improve the safety of the public safety network, document the operational requirements and help develop national, voluntary standards addressing those requirements.

“The creation of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission, is long overdue,” Edwards said. “It is important that we move forward in earnest, but we must ensure that broadband technologies are developed to work seamlessly with and meet the needs of our first responders.”

Walden, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said Tuesday on the chamber floor: “This legislation didn’t just drop out of the sky. It was thoughtfully and creatively crafted and it finds the right balances.” Walden cited five separate public hearings and 11 months of negotiations between both parties, the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

“But at some point the American people say, ‘Stop talking, get it done.’”

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has also approved a bill authorizing spectrum auctions and re-allocating the D Block, but it has yet to come up for a vote on the floor.

Read the story here.

Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset and Westmoreland counties will be linked on a network with access to the same 911 technology, giving each of the counties in the conglomerate the ability to accept emergency text and video messages.

Frank Matis, director of Butler County Emergency Services, said the idea was sprung when Allegheny and Mercer did their own 911 system upgrades. Various counties in the region then reached out to one another and the state — which oversees the 911 program of each county — about a way to share the technology throughout the western part of Pennsylvania.

Mission Critical Partners, a public safety communications consultant, is doing an assessment on the technology and policy needs of each county to create a governance model on how to implement the partnership. The evaluation will identify how costs would be distributed among the counties, including whether the best model is based on population, call volume or other factors.

Matis said it isn’t clear yet whether the region would be using the call capacity and newer 911 switches — which route emergency calls to the appropriate operator — owned by Allegheny and Butler counties, or if additional equipment would be purchased to serve the group’s needs. But the partnership will have access to the latest technology at a fraction of the cost it would be to purchase individually.

Through the state, the counties are getting some help from Uncle Sam to make the plan a reality. A $2.5 million federal grant was awarded to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which will be used to help purchase whatever equipment is needed to establish the regional network.

Brian Bark, senior vice president of Mission Critical Partners, said 911 switch redundancy is a paramount factor to make the network viable. The consultancy will be designing a system that has two or three centralized 911 switches so that if one fails, another is ready to pick up the slack for all counties on the system.

But exactly how many switches will be used and where they’ll be located is still up in the air.

“Today [the counties] own their own 911 switches and each one of them cost $250,000,” Bark said. “The new switches have capacity to support 150 911 workstations. So if you have a network in place, one switch could potentially support 10 to 15 counties.”

The financial savings are an obvious advantage in a time where local government budgets are continually shrinking. But there will be other positives. Matis said the ability to immediately restore service in the event of a catastrophe is one critical benefit the shared use of emergency technology will have for Butler County.

“We obviously have a restoration plan, but it would take several days to get it all operational,” Matis admitted. “When we’re sharing this 911 equipment, it would be extremely easy to have our calls transferred and answered in another county. It would be almost instantaneous.”

More Applications Planned

Ultimately while 911 systems were the kick-start for the equipment-sharing idea, Bark said it’s likely only the first application that will result.

As the network’s infrastructure is built, in addition to the 911 technology, Bark and Matis said other applications such as GIS, an emergency notification system, voice loggers and computer-aided dispatch systems and their data can eventually be tied into the network.

Bark explained that while creating a network for shared services isn’t a novel idea, he felt most municipalities that do it only put one application on it. But what the western Pennsylvania counties are trying to do is establish an all-encompassing public safety network.

“It’s complex, it’s not easy, but just the fact these folks are stepping up to work together and to see the coordination and the foresight and vision they have and to be part of it is pretty rewarding for us,” Bark said.

Amateur Radio, also more commonly referred to as “Ham Radio”, has been around for quite some time and has often been one of the only means of communications after mass disasters around the world.  (i.e., Hurricane Katrina, 2003 Northeastern US Black Out, 2004 Tsunami, and many others.)  This community of tightly knit hobbyists have an urge to learn, create, and/or modify/manipulate just about anything electronic and/or can be used to communicate with the outside world.  Tapping into this innovative spirit only lends itself in making emergency communications easier when things get tough.  However, this should not be something new to of those who have been working with Amateur Radio operators for disaster response efforts in the past.  Though, others may need to take a second look at this growing resource.

So, what makes Amateur Radio operators such a great resource?  Simple: Have tech, innovative spirit, and will travel.  This is a group of highly dedicated, tech minded, problem solvers  that are up to just about any challenge if it can be fixed with technology.  (..or duct tape, WD40, and a hammer..)  It only makes sense that those who find their hobby based in finding new and innovative ways to communicate may in fact be the best place to find assistance in engaging the public during a disaster. Though its not just the innovative spirit that makes Hams a great resource, part of what separates Amateur Radio hobbyists from the pack is the fact that there are licensing requirements that require base knowledge in simple electronics, radio wave propagation, and the regulations that bind license holders.  (This is no backseat quarterback hobby people.)   However, the buck doesn’t stop there.  This group of highly skilled volunteers are also well versed in emergency management, communications platforms, and some even already belong to organizations that provide this support today.  (Possibly within your organization already.)   Anything from the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), SKYWARN, State and Local Emergency Management Support (Check out the State of Oregon and their integration), the Red Cross, and Amateur Radio Clubs themselves have looped in Ham operators for years to help provide communications during disasters.  Even more important is that a lot of these organizations are in the Social Media space already and expanding every day.  Bottom line, these individuals are near by and have been part of the system for some time and may be under utilized.

Taking this resource and applying it to the Social Media engagement side of the house may be just what the doctor ordered.  Amateur Radio operators almost always want to learn something new.  This want to always be absorbing new technology and how it works is one of the most promising aspects about adding Social Media to their skill set.  What better to reinforce your Emergency Operations Center (EOC) communications cell than to take your trained volunteers and add another communication method to their ever growing tool box of options in helping get the word out?  These individuals already are plugged into most organization’s situational awareness, command and control, and communications groups helping pass information, why not help empower these volunteers to pass important information back to the public as well?

Now granted this process may not come over night, but here are a few steps that can help bring the two together:

1. Ask! If an organization doesn’t engage the available volunteers from local RACES, ARES, MARS, SKYWARN and other Ham Radio volunteers if there is any interest in learning more about applying Social Media to the same problems these groups handle every day, one may never know the interest level.  So, get in there and engage.
2. Educate! As stated previously, Hams are typically technologically savvy and love playing with just about any type of technology, though it is possible to run into situations where this is new ground for some of these individuals.  Help bring these volunteers up to speed on what is going on and how the organization envisions using Social Media to better help communicate with the public in an emergency.  It is highly likely that additional ideas will be produced from this group as they come up to speed.
3. Train, Exercise, and Repeat! Once there is engagement with interested Hams and they are up to speed, now is the time to get a solid training regiment in place.  Though some Amateur Radio operators have had training via organizations like RACES, ARES, MARS, and SKYWARN this is a great time to bring them up to speed on the organizational operating procedures and emergency management in general.  Set up minimum training requirements: (i.e., FEMA EMI IS-100, FEMA EMI IS-200, FEMA EMI IS-700, FEMA EMI IS-704, ARRL EC-016, and ARRL EC-001)  Once trained, practice and do it again until comfortable.
4. Communicate! Once things are underway and there is an established process in place that the organization and the volunteers are comfortable with start telling people about it.  People can’t volunteer for something they don’t know about.  Amateur Radio is still growing strong as a hobby and more and more people want to know how to become more involved in helping out during disasters.

In the end, this is a great chance to bring together a group of volunteers that are already available within most EOCs to help engage the public with information, faster.  Take the time to talk to these individuals, find common ground, locate the interest, make a plan of action, and execute.

Opportunity is knocking, is your organization ready to step up to the challenge?

Read the story here.

Through Smart911, people can provide the department with information such as descriptions of their homes and location of rooms; the names and photos of everyone living in the home, including pets; vehicle information; lists of medical issues; and emergency contacts.

The information is stored in the Smart911 database, which allows dispatchers to retrieve it during a 911 call, North Augusta Public Safety Chief John Thomas said Tuesday.

The system cuts down the time dispatchers spend asking questions during a call and allows the information to be shared with first responders immediately.

“It also helps us to respond to those calls with the appropriate equipment,” Thomas said.

Having information readily available can help in missing person cases, he said, citing a recent incident.

“If we had that information up front, that would have saved us a lot of time, and we can begin that process immediately,” Thomas said. “Twelve minutes is a long time for a child to be missing. We fortunately found the child, but if we had that information at our fingertips, then we (are) way ahead of the game.”

Aiken County E911 systems introduced the program in March. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office was the first to use the program, followed by Aiken, said the county’s E911 Geographic Information System coordinator, Cathy Randall.

The program is also useful outside Aiken County, Thomas said. If someone travels within the U.S. and makes a 911 call, the dispatchers can pull up the caller’s information if that jurisdiction also uses the Smart911 program. Such information can be useful in accidents and medical situations.

Smart911 is supported by existing 911 fees; therefore, there is no charge to sign up. Participation is voluntary.

More than 3,000 people already have registered their information, Randall said.

Residents can sign up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Building at 100 Georgia Ave. Those who travel to or through the county are also urged to sign up, she said.

North Augusta Public Safety will start using information from Smart911 in about a month after the database is established, Thomas said.

Those who are unable to sign up in person may enroll at www.aikencountysc.gov or visit North Augusta Public Safety on East Buena Vista Avenue. For more information, contact Randall at (803) 642-2054.

Read the story here.

Presenting before the Board of Selectmen last night, Fire Chief Paul Milositz, who doubles as the town’s emergency response director, outlined the most recent strides in emergency communication, which included an emergency-only Wilton Facebook page and Wilton Twitter account.

The town’s official emergency Facebook page, titled “Wilton Emergency Management,” had been set up since two weeks after Tropical Storm Irene hit. Today was however something of an official unveiling of the page (being a public Facebook page, it has technically been live since its creation) which also explains why only two people “like” the official page.

First Selectman William Brennan said that the town has been listening to its citizens and looking to other towns for emergency response examples. One town the town could compare itself to would be neighboring New Canaan, which has an active emergency Facebook page and 1,927 “likes” as of this writing.

As evidenced by the comments left on New Canaan’s emergency-response Facebook page, an active social media front can lead to grateful citizens. No less than 24 people gave a heartwarming thanks to New Canaan for their clear communication efforts (see accompanying photo).

“Halleluiah!!! Thank you for hanging in there until all of us were back up and running. That is what community is all about! Hope you all take a much needed vacation (maybe in a place with no trees?!). Thanks again for everything you all have done – makes me proud of this town!!” wrote one New Canaan resident.

Last Thursday, Dec. 1, Wilton Patch launched an unofficial emergency notification Facebook page. It currently has 127 “likes.”

Before the meeting, Patch spoke with Milositz on these new social media mediums.

“We have to get better at [communication with residents],” he said. “We developed that Facebook page to just start to get our name out there, looking at the ins-and-outs of using that page… It was started after Hurricane Irene, but was not used during the October storm.”

“We have to go slowly because we’re a municipality, and not an individual person,” he said. “We’ve posted notifications around town…but if people want to get their information [through social media] then we need to do that too.”

When contacted, John Savarese, Wilton’s Information Technology Director, said that Milositz would be the best person to speak to about the new social mediums in an email sent to Wilton Patch yesterday. This suggests that the town’s emergency social media will be covered by Milositz. It is unclear as to who else will be managing these accounts, likely because these social platforms have just now been officially introduced to the town.

Milositz also runs Wilton’s emergency management Twitter account but is the first to admit that he’s new to the platform.

“I know at least one person is following me, so that’s good,” he joked at last night’s board meeting. You can follow the emergency management account at twitter.com/WiltonEMD. The last tweet—about 13 hours ago as of Monday night at 11:30 p.m.— says “I really don’t get this tweet thing.”

New Canaan’s emergency response Twitter account, while active with 344 tweets, has only 66 followers.

Milositz stressed that wiltonct.org would remain the best place to get emergency information.

“[The town’s website] is by far the best place to start looking for our residents,” said Milositz. He cited a ticker at the top of the webpage which scrolled emergency notifications for a dense-fog warning last night.

The social media platforms will only be used for town-wide emergencies that deal with massive blackouts, situations that require assistance the town cannot handle or if the Emergency Operations Center is in operation.

Radio

Milositz said there is a plan to utilize a radio station at Westport’s Staples High School for broadcasting Wilton-specific emergency information. The chief said that Staples has “tentatively agreed” to announce Wilton information after broadcasting Westport-specific information. Staples High School Radio, or WWPT, is broadcast on 90.3 FM.

Storm Hotline

Perhaps still the most popular for residents, the Code Red emergency hotline received 678 calls during the two storms.

The automated response is “updated with information as it appears on the Wilton homepage” so people who are unable to get online can sign up and receive information at least twice a day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Milositz said.

“It’s important to know that the town does not restore power and does not have the capabilities to do so,” he said. “Residents must call CL&P to report outages in their area.”

For residents who find themselves out and about but without access to any of the above communications, emergency bulletins will posted at CVS, Village Market, Stop and Shop, Caraluzzi’s, Orem’s Diner, Comstock Communict Center, Wilton Town Hall, the library, and the Wilton YMCA.

But the strongest offense is a personal defense, Brennan said.

“Every family should have a week’s worth of food and water per person. Be prepared.”

Update, 11:30 a.m.: There is also another twitter account, Wilton Emergency Mgt or twitter.com/wiltonemergency. It’s not entirely clear which account is to be used, as it was not specified at the meeting.

Read the story here.

NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, which represents public safety officials and the 9-1-1 technology community, heralded the amendment as a testament to the importance the public and Congress place on robust emergency communications systems. “Alongside the other public safety measures included in both the majority and minority bills, now is clearly the right time for Congress to take up NG9-1-1 legislation,” said NENA President Rick Galway. “The deployment of emergency text, photo, and video capabilities for consumers should happen alongside the deployment of those same technologies for police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs,” Galway added, referring to the need for a public safety broadband network. The two provisions could eventually work together to provide an end-to-end path for communications technologies the public is already using on a day-to-day basis, but which have not previously been available for use in emergency calling or by responders in the field.

For some, these measures are a particularly welcome advance. Millions of Americans with hearing or speech disabilities are limited to using legacy technology because current networks and 9-1-1 systems cannot handle text messages sent to 9-1-1. The provisions of the Eshoo-Shimkus Amendment, however, would allow 9-1-1 authorities to deploy modern equipment capable of receiving text messages as carrier networks are upgraded to route them quickly and correctly based on the user’s location.

Details of the amendment:

National Implementation and Coordination Office