The nation’s public safety agencies should be monitoring their Web and social media sites so they can promptly respond to requests for help, according to those who answered a Red Cross survey on how the Internet fits into emergency service plans. More dramatically, 74 percent of the 1,058 adults surveyed believe that help would arrive in response to their Internet request in less than an hour. The survey results indicate a wide gap between the public’s expectation of assistance in response to Internet-generated calls for help and the ability of public safety comm centers to monitor and dispatch assistance. Despite the popularity of the Internet, only a handful of U.S. comm centers have the ability to receive text messages directly, and only from selected wireless carriers. The agencies still urge the public to telephone for help when possible. The Red Cross conducted the survey during July 2010, and focused first on how the respondents received information about emergencies. About 16 percent have used social media to obtain emergency information, including Twitter, Facebook, flickr and various mobile apps. About one-half would sign up for e-mail alerts for specific emergency information, including floods, fire, evacuation routes and flooding. Facebook was the most popular site for respondents to post their own emergency experiences, followed by a blog, Twitter and flickr. The survey then asked an open-ended question—you’ve dialed 911 repeatedly and received a busy signal. How else would you contact emergency responders? The respondents listed the police (39%), fire department (19%), friends or family (16%), or hospital (10%). They also said they’d use a wired or wireless phone (42%), digital media (like Skype, 18%), walk or drive (16%) or text message (4%). Download (pdf) a survey slide show here, and see some result graphs after the break.
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If you dial 911 and get a busy signal, it’s because the 911 operators are busy answering other calls. So, if they are that busy, they are probably not checking their website. In most jurisdictions 911 is handled by the police and/or fire department. If 911 calls are backed up, the non-emergency lines for police and fire will also get you a busy signal (it’s usually the same people answering both emergency and non-emergency lines with a priority to 911 calls). So, for an EMERGENCY, stay with 911 and remember, when seconds count, emergency services are only minutes away. In other words, sometimes you have to help yourself.
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