[Scan-DC] Man monitors Frederick through scanner service

[Steve]

Thanks, Al.  Good article.  And here I thought it would be about someone
who was arrested for following public transmissions on his scanner :-).

Steve


On Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 9:58 PM, Alan Henney <alan at henney.com> wrote:

>
> The Associated Press State & Local Wire
>
> July 21, 2013 Sunday 2:56 PM GMT
>
> Man monitors Frederick through scanner service
>
> BYLINE: DANIEL J. GROSS, The Frederick News-Post
>
> SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL
>
> LENGTH: 599 words
>
> DATELINE: NEW MARKET Md.
>
> During the historic snowstorms that rolled through the East Coast in 2010,
> some would say Pete Raumann had too much time on his hands.
>
> Raumann would simply reply, "It was maddening to be stuck in the house. I
> just wanted to know what was going on."
>
> During those storms, Raumann created what's become his most prized hobby,
> and one that's gained droves of followers from Frederick residents.
>
> The staging of computer servers, antennas and a radio scanner formed
> Frederick Scanner, a website and mobile application to provide streaming
> audio from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police,
> Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services and Highway Services
> radios. The stream does not include the Frederick Police Department's
> encrypted radio. The service, now in its third year, also shows live
> traffic webcams of major Frederick roads.
>
> His intent, he said, has been to provide the public with as much emergency
> response information as possible, so that they know what's going on when "a
> fireman is running down the street. That's why it's there."
>
> Raumann, 45, is a software engineer who works from his home office for a
> California-based software company. He said Frederick Scanner stands out
> because it provides nearly instant information solely about Frederick and
> Frederick County.
>
> "You have Frederick police and Frederick fire and rescue. It has
> everything. If you're wondering what's happening down the street, you turn
> it on," he said.
>
> Raumann is from Montgomery County but moved to the city of Frederick in
> 2000 because of his love for the area.
>
> For the past two years, he's lived in New Market with his wife and three
> children.
>
> Fire Chief Jerry Dorsey, of Frederick's United Steam Fire Engine Co. 3,
> said when he stumbled across Frederick Scanner online about a year ago, he
> contacted Raumann. Dorsey has since posted a link to Frederick Scanner on
> the fire company's website.
>
> "Especially today where not everyone has the ability to listen to a
> digital scanner, (Frederick Scanner) is another avenue to let people in the
> community have an opportunity to listen to what's going on," he said.
>
> Dorsey said Raumann's service is a great way to provide emergency
> information to the public.
>
> Twitter and Facebook accounts are linked to Frederick Scanner so that
> posts will automatically appear when incidents come through the radio or
> when Raumann logs on himself to make a noteworthy posting.
>
> The (at)FredScanner Twitter profile has more than 2,600 followers, and the
> Frederick Scanner Facebook page has more than 1,100 "likes." He also said
> that, during major events, his feed will spike to nearly 500 listeners.
>
> The social media profiles are laden with comments of appreciation.
>
> Raumann typically receives notifications of posts about anything from
> "Large brush fire behind Westview shopping center. Heard anything?" to
> "Thank you for keeping us informed!"
>
> All of Frederick Scanner's services are free for users, but they can be
> costly for him since he's spent hundreds of dollars on servers, scanners,
> antennas, data usage, site maintenance and other costly items.
>
> "(Frederick Scanner) is not what I get paid to do, but it's what I enjoy
> the most," he said. "I run it not expecting to get paid, but because I like
> being a part of Frederick."
>
> While his service is running smoothly, Raumann said he's looking to expand
> by finding residents to help run his feeds and post timely updates to
> Twitter and Facebook.
>
> That way, he said, he can ensure residents stay aware of what's happening
> in their city and county.
>
> Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post,
> http://www.fredericknewspost.com
>
>
>
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