First Responders Meet For Workshop

A group of emergency responders at the local, state, national, and international level met yesterday for a brainstorming and informational workshop; tackling the issue of social media technology and how that relates to getting information to and from the public in general as well as emergency situations.  Jeff Friedland of St. Clair County Emergency Management said the government is looking at the value of social media in relationship to the community which includes citizens and government.  He says that while many are currently using social media – it is definitely the way of the future for communication and they want to be on top of it, and work with the community to find the best ways to interact.  Facebook, Twitter, I-phones and I-pads were the talk of the day as first responders voiced their opinions on how they would like the information to be dispersed, and others talked about what types of information is important to residents during times of emergencies