News
Fairfield County EMA Releases New Mobile App
By: Merle Tilk
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The Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency now offers a new mobile app.
The applications allows the community to sign up for alert notifications and to access the NOAA weather radio service as well as the OHGO traffic service.
Jon Kochis, Fairfield County EMA director, said the goal is to keep residents in Fairfield County informed and to prepare them for disasters.
But according to Kochis it also helps to respond better when residents report damages, especially when they use it to upload pictures of weather damages or a fire.
"It would be a fast way to let us know and then we can come up and follow up that with an assessment," Kochis said. Pictures would help responders to visualize what happens at the scene.
For Joe Rempe, a bike shop owner in Lancaster, the new app is a great way to report damage. A few weeks ago strong winds cracked some windows in his shop. He called police who then took pictures and made sure that nobody had stolen anything.
Now, that the Faifield County EMA offers the moble application, Rempe said he would definitley use it for future damages.
It would not only speed up the process of getting help, he explained. It would also be realistic.
"It's a right there, right now."
The app is available for apple and android devices in the App Store and on Google Play. Fairfield residents just have to search for "Fairfield County EMA" and can download the app for free.
According to Kochis the costs for the app are about $ 5,000 dollars. He also stresses that it doesn't replace a 911 call.
People should be safe first before they take a picture and report damage, he said.