East Jefferson Fire-Rescue now on Twitter; tool called ideal for emergency communication

Published 12:01 am Monday, September 7, 2015

PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson Fire-Rescue has begun tweeting.

Twitter is an ideal media for emergency communication, said Bill Beezley, department spokesman.

“The instantaneous delivery of information to followers’ cell phones will enhance the ability of emergency response agencies to communicate important information,” he said.

“Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management uses NIXLE to communicate important information to area residents and it currently has the widest reach,” he added.

“But with Twitter, we’re reaching out to current users of the media who prefer to get their information that way.

Beezley expects to use Twitter primarily to notify area residents of road closures due to accidents, large fires to avoid and in the event of large-scale incidents.

“It’s a matter of disseminating important information as many different ways as possible to reach the widest audience.”

Find the department by its Twitter handle “@EastJeffFirePIO” or log on to www.ejfr.org where tweets will be listed in the left-hand margin of the home page.