Want to find out where that fire truck is heading? Check out Halifax Fire’s new Twitter account

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency (HRFE) has created a second Twitter account where Haligonians can find out where fire trucks are heading.

“We're not the first to do this,” said deputy chief Dave Meldrum.

“We know a large portion of our community is very interested in the operations of the fire service and what's happening, whether it's in their neighbourhood when they hear sirens or see vehicles moving, or whether they're just generally enthusiasts about the fire industry.”

He said information from the department's computer automated dispatch system gets automatically routed to @HRFE_Incidents.

Followers of the account can see the incident number, location, station response and find out the type of call.

Meldrum said because the system is automated, there are some limitations, but he called it a “first step” in increasing communication.

“We also are contemplating streaming this stuff to a webpage, which would be more comprehensive,” he told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show. “Perhaps we could use a GIS layer so folks could see where the incidents are occurring and look back more easily on, for example, what happened overnight in the fire service.”

Meldrum said the majority of calls firefighters deal with are related to alarm systems and medical or rescue situations. However, last year, HRFE responded to 1,077 fires and 1,854 motor vehicle collisions.

There are 51 fire stations in HRM and around 1,000 firefighters, over half of which are volunteers.

Haligonians can also follow HRFE's primary Twitter account, @hfxfire, for safety and prevention information.

This is an automated account and is not monitored. Follow @hfxfire for the latest safety & prevention information. Call 911 for emergencies. See the attached graphic for how to read tweets from this account. pic.twitter.com/hcnoDhKyDM

— Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency Incidents (@HRFE_Incidents) August 24, 2020