[Scan-DC] Wicomico First Alert reaches goal

[Alan Henney]

Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland)

NEWS; Pg. A3

Wicomico First Alert reaches goal

By, Rose Velazquez, rvelazquez at delmarvanow.com
June 8, 2017 Thursday 
   1 Edition

Community raises $1,500 to fund four new scanners

For more than two years, Wicomico First Alert has been one of the go-to sources for real-time updates on traffic, crime and other emergency situations in the area.

Thanks to the generosity of community members, the social media initiative will be able to continue serving its more than 50,000 followers.

In just a few months, the county will upgrade its radio system, which means the scanners Wicomico First Alert currently uses to post information just seconds after it's dispatched will become obsolete.

New scanners will cost $375 each.

To fund the purchase of the new equipment, Ryan Stevenson, the social media initiative's main operator, turned to the Facebook users and Twitter followers who check Wicomico First Alert daily.

In just four days, a GoFundMe he set up reached its $1,500 fundraising goal, which means Stevenson and the eight volunteers who assist him in running the social media accounts will be able to afford four new scanners.

Nearly 30 people donated to the campaign, with donations ranging from $5 to $205.

Stevenson said the campaign started with a $375 fundraising goal. When that amount was quickly reached, he decided to increase the goal so they would be able to buy additional scanners to distribute among the volunteers.

Wicomico First Alert often brings people information that they aren't able to find elsewhere, Stevenson said.

Followers not only use Facebook and Twitter to keep up with important information about crime in their area, but also to plan alternative routes to work when there's a serious car accident.

"Whenever there's flashing lights outside your window ... you can check Wicomico First Alert and 99.9 percent of the time we'll know what's going on," he said.

Because of information spread through Wicomico First Alert, Stevenson said police have been able to locate missing persons and fugitives and pet owners have been reunited with lost animals.

"We get messages every day from people who thank us for posting information," he said.

The final donation, which brought the GoFundMe to its goal on Tuesday, came from Zach Johnson.

When Johnson heard Wicomico First Alert was in need of donations, he initially planned to give just $50.

However, the GoFundMe was just $145 away from its goal, so he decided to close that final gap.

Johnson said he checks Wicomico First Alert daily to get updates on where car accidents have occurred and often shares posts about people or pets that have gone missing.

The information Wicomico First Alert provides can be particularly important Johnson said for parents of students at Salisbury University who want to keep up with what's going on in their child's community.

Because much of what Wicomico First Alert posts about is outside of what local news outlets usually cover, Johnson said he considers the social media initiative to be a "breath of fresh air."

"I think they do a great service for the community," he said.