As some of you may know, there has been an outburst of wildfires throughout the Southern California region, causing residents to leave their homes and seek shelter in areas not in the pathway of the fires. Fire Departments and local authorities have been trying to contain the wildfires and prevent them from spreading, however, the persistent winds and challenging weather have only continued the spread.
In order to alert residents of the details regarding the wildfires, authorities have been utilizing different technological strategies, including sending alerts to millions of phones throughout the region. Over the past several evenings, smartphones were blaring with the alert sound that usually occurs for an Amber Alert, informing residents that strong winds were approaching overnight and to be alert for heightened fire risk.
Titan’s Director of Emergency Management, Tom Henkey, was quoted in the Marketplace article by Jed Kim, in which he discussed the importance of utilizing technology in times of emergency and natural disasters, ”Fewer and fewer people have landlines…so as technology evolves, we’re looking at pushing that message digitally via smartphones, tablets, the internet – any way that we can to get that messaging out to those that may be in danger”.
The Wireless Emergency Alert System is a tool for civil emergency managers to utilize in facilitating evacuation orders and emergency alerts. The system has been continually improving, and will reduce the need for public-safety personnel to go door-to-door to alert residents of evacuation orders.
For more information on The Wireless Emergency Alert System, click here, to view the Marketplace article
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