#Silence: Fire and EMS Twitter Feed to be "Filtered"

Photo by triborough.

Mayor Vince Gray's bi-weekly press conference was derailed today over concerns that his administration was backtracking on promises of transparency by encrypting police radio communications and limiting the use of the popular D.C. Fire/EMS Twitter account.

In late August, WAMU's Patrick Madden reported that the Metropolitan Police Department would begin encrypting its radio communications, citing concerns that new mobile apps were allowing criminals to stay one step ahead of police operations. Around the same time, the Fire/EMS Twitter account, one of the most popular among D.C. government agencies with over 9,700 followers, ceased its usual daily output of fire- and emergency-related tweets. The silence was first explained by the fact that the official in charge of it, Pete Piringer, had gone on vacation -- but broader concerns about security and jurisdictional matters have since convinced department officials to re-think how they use the account.

At the press conference, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander defended the decision to encrypt radio communications, citing operational and safety concerns. Saying the move was meant to promote public safety, Quander also said that police were worried that would-be criminals were using mobile apps to stay ahead of police. "The bad guys will know exactly what police are doing," he said.

He also more ominously spoke of threats to the District, but did not offer any specifics. "The world we're living in is changing...we have to adapt or we'll face the consequences," Quander said.

D.C. Fire/EMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe argued that the Twitter account had not been shut down, but rather that its use was being reconsidered after what he claimed was incorrect information that had "imperiled the operation of another agency." After repeated questioning, he admitted that the other agency had been federal, but refused to offer further details.

After the press conference, Lon Walls, the department's communication director and a former journalist himself, said that accuracy was vital. "I'd rather be slow and right than fast and wrong," he said.

"Social media is for parties. We ain't givin' parties," he added, arguing that safety and sensitive issues had to be considered before tweeting out information on emergencies. He did promise that the department's Twitter account would again be functional, likely as early as this week.

Journalists at the press conference pushed back, arguing that in a changing world, information had to made available as quickly as possible and to the widest audience. They noted that alternative sources for information on crime, fires and emergencies were often delayed or hard to come by, and that the fire department's Twitter account had served as an invaluable resource for residents.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@dcist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Martin Austermuhle in News on September 21, 2011 12:35 PM

Comments [rss]

Ward Three DC

"After repeated questioning, he admitted that the other agency had been federal, but refused to offer further details."

Considering that the head of FEMA is on twitter everyday and it along with other government agency's with emergency response requirement are actively encouraging emergency managers to be online and engaged ~ I'll bet if pressed that it was no federal agency only dc internal wall building bureaucrats. Here is @CraigatFEMA talking about this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

In Fact all of this flies in the face of social media emergency management #smem and only goes to show how out of touch DC.gov has become. Considering that we had the RedCross CrisisData Summit here, many CrisisCommons, CrisisCamp events, along with all the CrisisMappers, and those of us involved in Tech@State all of which DC gov has failed to participate let alone send one employee. This includes a SocialMediaCamp that was held during the National Association of Emergency Managers. How can they even be cogent in sm if no one is present in it? Consultant? I hope not however I pretty sure there is a company from VA that is advising them now.

Since the newest National Disaster Recovery Framework, NDRF has directed that social media be incorporated in the Recovers Support Functions. And, we now see FEMA and DHS including smem in national training exercise like the Great Central Us. Shakeout Earth Quake Drill and is talked about weekly by emergency managers in an open chat on twitter #smemchat it happening despite DC avoidance.
I have to ask if everyone else but DC is using SMEM how are they going to respond. On personal note ~ if you bring it to a certain official's attention you'll get a request to not contact them again -- talk about sticking your head in the sand.

So what to do. One thing we already know is that social media citizens are working together on this since it's our lives on the line and now we can do it together via www.CrisisCampDC.org

IMGoph

it's like they're trying to be tone-deaf on purpose.

dues

Earlier this summer I smelled a ton of smoke wafting into the open window of my apartment in the middle of the night. I was going to call 911, but I decided to check the Fire/EMS twitter feed first, and learned that there was a house fire a block away and it was under control, so I was able to just go back to sleep and not bother the 911 staff. Keeping this twitter feed running is the way to go for sure.

DonKeysHoTea

last time i smelled smoke through my window, i could hear the Doors and someone said 'duuuude', so i went back to sleep and enjoyed the contact high

egbindc

I love the DC Fire/EMS Twitter account. It's nice to be able to check it when you see/hear sirens and know if there is something to truly worry about or when to avoid an area.

CJ_Scudworth

No myopic little Fire/EMS twits in DC!

Over the River

No Baby wants to Fuck Mommy in the neighborhood.

mensan98th

Hey neighbor!

http://www.movie-roulette.com/...

dcheel

"Social media is for parties. We ain't givin' parties..."
NO PARTIES IN DC!

Over the River

Social Media is for gangs of yutes to plan flash mods to rob stores.

ms_last_minute

I most certainly hope people at the parties I am hosting are not sitting in the corner fucking tweeting. I don't want to party with those guys!

dcheel

You're such a twat!

monkeyrotica

The problem here is that Gary hasn't figured out a way to make money off the EMS Twitter feed. Now if every retweet got him 50% off a Livingsocial deal or a discount at the bloodbank, he'd be all over it like Poopy on H Street.

Rudi Riet

I love how Lon Walls - heck, the entire Gray administration - thinks it's living in the 1980s, in the days of the 24-hour news cycle. Walls' "social media is for parties" quote shows how painfully out-of-touch he and the whole admin is with the realities of today: that the news cycle is in milliseconds these days, and that quashing immediate, official dissemination of data is a disservice to all DC residents and visitors.

Oh well - it's the kind of mediocrity I've come to expect from Mayor Gray and his cronies. One (Dysfunctional) City!!!!™

Grimnur

But the police aren't in the news business... While oversight is important, not having universal, instant access to the movements of police is probably a good thing. There are channels to go through for communicating with community liaisons in the event of a crime or emergency. Perhaps they should simply put more resources into making those channels more appealing.

The command and control method used during the Mumbai attacks from several years ago sound like they might be part of the concern from the releases.

Ben J

I have no idea what a city-controlled twitter account could possibly have to do with terrorist command and control. If you're worried about providing outside situational awareness to terrorists isolated inside buildings, our media and every other person on twitter should be a far greater concern.

Most of the tweets were a single line, with an occasional update for a big incident. I don't even recall seeing frequent mentions of police response; police events were usually terse, like "shooting - xxth and J St". None of the explanation above makes sense, and people blowing off twitter is so 2010.

D_Rez

"I'd rather be slow and right than fast and wrong,"
That's a false choice. His department could still use Twitter to provide quick alerts to incidents, while holding back certain details as prudent.

Qwerkie

Agreed. The tweets were really helpful during the storms to find out where trees were down and where the power was out.

Dread_Pirate_Roberts

I completely agree. Sophisticated bad guys will be able to find whatever they need to find out. The rest of us are losing valuable insights into exactly what the Po-Po are up to. And I'm sorry, but unspecified threats to security won't cut it.

CJ_Scudworth

On the other hand, just because fire/police have the ability to easily provide minute by minute news of their activities, doesn't mean it's a good idea or some kind of basic public right.

Ollie Pooeater

I've definitely had enough "Dear POP, The mean police officer/fireman didn't stop arresting the offender/putting out the fire to answer my very important questions about what was happening. I'm really angry and my feeling of self entitlement has been harmed by this callousness. Will anyone validate my sense of insecurity at not being the center of the universe?"