I live in a very small town in Connecticut where everyone knows exactly what is going on in town however things can get misreported. This got me thinking as to how things could be better handled in our town and even within the county. A great example can be found with the Boston Police Department. In an effort to spread news of an emergency they turned to the ever popular Twitter to share incidents with the general public and give warnings.
Since moving to Boston in late August I’ve found this service pretty useful although it rarely affects me directly however it certainly has given me a heads up to what’s going on around me. For example, earlier in the week I saw this tweet after I got the alert that the T had struck a car on the BU bridge and knew that traffic was probably going to be even worse and that I should walk down past the incident to pick up the bus or the T to avoid getting delayed and be late to class.
I have a feeling that between the Boston Police feed and the Boston Fire feed any true emergency situation that would affect me directly would be easily conveyed and help keep me and others safe.
Bottom line, Twitter + emergency services = great idea.