[LINK] itNews: 'Emergency system given geo-location boost'

[Jan Whitaker]

At 10:49 AM 16/01/2012, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
>Regarding switched-off phones: it isn't all phones that stay active when
>switched off, so I wouldn't trust that, and I don't know of any
>mechanism to "force on" a smartphone because it received a particular SMS.

There is also a traffic volume issue. During the Vic fires, I seem to 
recall that SMSs were being received hours after they were sent and 
the houses were already burning. People were stupid enough to wait 
until they were told to leave. Radio stations (ABC) were complaining 
that the emergency services were not up to date, either, so whole 
areas were under threat and the stations who were charged with 
providing alerts were not allowed to make announcements based on 
lay-callers who were alerting them to the fires.

At some stage, common sense (both for those in the fire zones and 
those who are providing information) must prevail. So far, not so good.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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