Another user, Mary Ann Gallo, expressed similar sentiments. Some people have offered to send him money or Christmas gifts as a token of their appreciation. This was posted to a reliable Ventura Co Scanner feed on Twitter hosted by AI6YR, @KyleBJorrey In light of news that @SimiValleyPD will be encrypting radio traffic, I reached out to Sheriff @AyubBill. But he's unsure what's next. Borderline Bar and Grill Shooting Radio Traffic - Thousand Oaks, California - Duration: 1 hour, 32 minutes. VC Scanner. Toilet paper rationing is back, but relax: The supply chain is doing fine. While many families keep a television on in the background, the constant chatter of that emergency radio was the white noise of Gorden's childhood. She was sitting across from her roommate at a table when she got a Twitter notification from @VCScanner about a wildfire. Posting breaking news from across Ventura County as it happens! “A lot of people are saying that they found my information more helpful than what officials were putting out,” he said, “or were able to evacuate earlier than other people who evacuated Oak Park after all the gridlock.”. Gorden heard the call for the Hill fire in Ventura County. Many Ventura County residents who learned about the approaching wind-driven Woolsey fire relied on the @VCScanner Twitter account of Thomas Gorden, who has amassed a following of thousands by sending out alerts while listening to police scanners. The department has published dozens of verified, confirmed tweets daily about the fire's growth, crew efforts and firefighting strategy — context often lacking in Gorden's posts. Gorden listened to the drone of 911 calls picking up in the background. I apologize for the inconvenience but it's the best I can do given the circumstances. The fire ate through vegetation at a rate of an acre per second and raced toward people's homes and populated areas. Twitter. He wanted to be a part of the action, and this was the easiest way to do just that. VC Scanner. As he put it, he has "some big decisions" to make. Simple and complete webinar software in any web browser. We talk to the experts. Is this the right path? Homes threatened. THANK YOU.". The deadline to submit applications has been extended until Friday, Dec. 4, due to technical difficulties, the UC system said on Twitter. School closures for tomorrow, 10/30, as of 5 PM: - ACE Charter High School - Briggs School District Comment deleted by user 20 days ago. But the companies have had all summer to prepare. Welcome to our comprehensive gift guide for the 2020 holiday season. Posting breaking news from across Ventura County as it happens! He started the @VCScanner Twitter account in 2011, embracing a chance to connect with his neighbors. "I could tell by the way there were talking on the radio," Gorden said. "I must add to the chorus of gratitude! Here’s how we got here, California breaks record for hospitalizations. His followers grew from 4,500 to 19,000 in a week. But it's more than what many scanner junkies on Twitter do. That's what people needed as they tried to wrap their head around such a fast-moving fire. L.A. County tightens COVID-19 restrictions today: What you need to know. Get instant answers to the most common questions and learn how to use Twitter like a pro. Composed of 577 dedicated men and women, the Ventura County Fire Department is an all-hazard, full-service agency. The easiest way to do webinars online. Jess Weihe had just been about to close her laptop when she saw Gorden’s all-caps tweet about the shooting. "Instead of the communications staff focusing on providing the updates, they now have to make sure they're correcting what's being pushed out there. Türbanlı Twitter (33) Vc Scanner Twitter (33) Reviewtechusa Twitter (27) Skuddbutt Twitter (24) Twitter Cum (24) Phoenix Marie Twitter (24) Wario 64 Twitter (23) Cate Hall Twitter (21) Sara Jay Twitter (21) 8.8K likes. Gorden tweeted from @VCScanner — his Twitter account that has amassed a following of thousands — alerting many in the area to the shooting, including the first Los Angeles Times reporter on the scene. That can confuse the public in harm's way and distract from the verified safety messaging trained communicators are trying to transmit. The answer is both yes and no, experts said. © 2020 www.azcentral.com. On Nov. 7, a call went out that someone had been shot outside Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks. His parents bought him an emergency scanner when he was 11 years old. Why? Five current and former Black employees are suing Southwestern College. Emergency updates that come from verified accounts have been vetted, but erroneous comments overheard on the scanner and transmitted to the world can go viral. “People need to leave before there’s an evacuation order. That's because a lot of what is said on fire radios ends up being brainstorming sessions between responders, not necessarily information people can or should be using to make life-or-death decisions, Trost said. Approximately 50 acres with rapid rate of spread. Will they obey? She eventually ended up in Pasadena. Others doubted the importance of evacuating, at which point he warned them to leave. The night of the Thomas Fire, he went to work under his Twitter handle: @VCScanner. The new rules, affecting stores, playgrounds and gatherings, are less severe than the stay-at-home order initiated in the spring. LA County FD. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. he kept us very informed since the Thomas fire and with plenty of other fires/crimes since. Most gatherings are banned for three weeks starting Monday. He relayed live feeds from news helicopters and linked to volunteer rescue groups. Gorden tweeted from @VCScanner — his Twitter account that has amassed a following of thousands — alerting many in the area to the shooting, including … While real-time updates from civilian Twitter users can be helpful, they also can create "noise" that can be taken out of context by people not trained in firefighting tactics or emergency management. He holds himself to a higher standard. Cal Lutheran University senior Annabelle Worrall was in shock from the shooting, which took the life of Justin Meek, who graduated from the school in May. L.A. is facing the most dangerous moment of the COVID-19 pandemic. MORE:Eye in the sky: Military Reaper drone shooting real-time video over Thomas Fire. First one fire, then a second. 'A hobby of mine' A soft-spoken Southern Californian, Gorden has always wanted to work in public safety. Using Twitter Managing your account Safety and security Rules and policies Guides. People hug each other as they await news outside of the Truth Aquatics office in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. I’m exhausted,” she said. MORE:Southern California fires are destructive and unprecedented — and a sign of things to come. English (US) Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Pasadena stepping up restriction enforcement and may consider new rules. Here are some answers, and some perspective, from epidemiologists and health officials. Among them: a Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times journalist, a CBS News national correspondent — and the public information officer account whose job he sought to replicate. "What could possibly be hurtful is people who put out misinformation. All rights reserved. Here’s how it works. He reported scanner chatter about power outages and school closures. Earthstar Geographics | . Fanned by winds roaring through the hills near Steckel Park in Santa Paula. In cities across the country, people behind so-called "scanner accounts" have cultivated a following — usually no more than a few thousand users. But as happened in the Thomas Fire, @VCScanner's following grew to rival that of the local fire department's verified public information Twitter account. But Gorden was candid and personable. But he has back problems that quashed that dream, he told The USA TODAY Network in an interview this week. Gorden doesn't plan on working for the chair installation company forever. Vimeo. The county is still on track to meet its election certification deadline this week, the registrar of voters said. "Santa Paula: Reported brush fire at Thomas Aquinas College. The night of the Thomas Fire, he went to work under his Twitter handle: @VCScanner. Upgrading to a 2nd alarm. They generally don't have a problem as long as the information is factual. In a time when there was a need for any and all information, Gorden seems to have filled the void in a generally responsible, well-intentioned way. Eye in the sky: Military Reaper drone shooting real-time video over Thomas Fire, Southern California fires are destructive and unprecedented — and a sign of things to come, Inmates battle to save famed rose garden from Thomas wildfire, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The more cases that are reported, the more deaths we would expect to see, right? At one point, he worked for 48 hours straight without sleep. VC Scanner. Wildfires aren't supposed to be that large before the first crews arrive. She previously worked at PBS NewsHour in Washington, D.C. She’s a graduate of George Washington University and a native of Southern California. Because I knew that people were desperate for information.". "That Monday night, I did not sleep," Gorden said. He didn’t slow down until this weekend. VENTURA COUNTY — The emergency radio chatter sounded different than the thousands of other calls Thomas Gorden has overheard from his Simi Valley home. You've provided a tremendous service. Worrall went to her house in Westlake Village, and a few hours later, she had to evacuate again. "Thank you for your tweets! “Early on, the not knowing is the scariest part,” said Weihe, who lives in Newbury Park. Sometimes, he heads out to a crime or fire scene and shoots video, which he sells to news television stations. But it was last year, during the Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, that people started paying more attention. And as he pumped out tweets by the minute, he directed his rapidly growing base of information-seekers to authorities on the ground. Unfortunately I have lost power and am stuck to using my phone. That said, if users post confirmed details of what they hear with context and direction to other resources, communities can benefit during major natural disasters. level 2. Instagram. Reach the reporter at 602-444-8515, jpohl@azcentral.com or on Twitter: @pohl_jason. Lawsuit alleges years of anti-Black discrimination at San Diego area college. This fire is moving dangerously fast.". It's just wrong enough that it could cause harm. He opened a Twitter account. A soft-spoken Southern Californian, Gorden has always wanted to work in public safety. vcscanner is great. Public health officials in some counties are warning that unless the coronavirus surge can be stopped, hospitals could run out of beds in weeks. Social media is a wildfire in and of itself. Within 24 hours, another disaster hit Ventura County. Local TV stations weren't yet posting updates on the soon-to-be-named Thomas Fire. Santa Ana winds bring ‘critical situation for fire weather’. Tactics that could compromise the safety of police officers, for example, are something he never touches. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. At 19,000 followers by midday Thursday, @VCscanner rivaled the 20,300 followers for the Ventura County Fire Department's public information officer account. Map of the Tick Fire at 9 p.m. PDT October 24, 2019 before it burned across the 14 freeway. Restrictions face skepticism from public. And in a race to report details about mass shootings or emergencies, case after case shows early reports are not always 100 percent accurate and actually can be harmful. Maybe he'll pursue a degree in emergency management, he said. L.A. County’s new stay-home order is the strictest in California. ", Two minutes later, the urgency was growing: "Update: Fire is possibly above Steckel Park. He didn't always have the answer, and he didn't know the insight behind everything he was hearing. Stores are once again limiting how much toilet paper and cleaning supplies customers can buy, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections ramps up and lockdown orders return. And Gorden and has a message pinned atop his profile declaring: "Some incidents on this account are delayed in order to protect officer safety.". E20 have visual several miles out. University of California extends application deadline. Maybe become a public information officer. Since the phenomena likely won't ease anytime soon, Trost urged residents to consider what they're hearing or reading — and scanner junkies to weigh why they're tweeting everything they're hearing. "I didn't really think of it as a public service until some of the messages I was getting from people.". We proudly provide fire protection, medical aid, rescue, hazardous materials response, and a variety of other services to the public. By day, the 21-year-old Gorden works for a company installing chair lifts for disabled people. Provides all webinar services including planning, equipment, support, communications, training, custom branding, access control and more. According to his independent record label, Highway 420 Productions, new music from the 26-year-old was on its way. And he started tweeting what he was hearing over the firefighter scanner channels, establishing himself as an pseudo-authority on what would grow into the fourth-largest wildfire in California history. As that blaze grew, the Woolsey fire started to burn in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Zoom to + Zoom In Zoom In − Zoom Out Arizona crews deployed to help fight Southern California wildfires, California wildfires: San Diego County evacuees face aftermath of Lilac Fire, California wildfires: What we know about the Creek, Thomas, Lilac and other fires. Got me through the night," one user wrote, replying to a message Gorden posted as his own residence came under threat from the Rye Fire. As emergency crews scrambled to get a handle on the disaster, and journalists worked to gauge what level of disaster coverage the Thomas Fire would garner and where to direct resources, Gorden assumed his role of communication conveyor. You can’t rely on authorities to always get you out on time.”. "It's just grown into a hobby of mine ever since," he said. "I don't want any of that," he said sharply in an interview, hoping instead people donate to an appropriate charity or relief group. People would be desperate for details amid a dearth of live updates in a rapidly evolving situation. I'm not sure if this should go here or under the new Ventura Co System thread.. Multiple people are feared dead after a dive boat caught fire before dawn Monday off the Southern California coast, according to the Coast Guard. Help Center. Colleen Shalby is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. So, like he did for the past decade for small fires and car wrecks, Gorden went to his computer. Trost studies the role of social media and public safety during emergencies. Posts about evacuation centers and resource needs took off into Tuesday. A news reporter came under fire after transmitting tactical details about a shooter's location inside a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015. “Everyone was still freaked out from that day,” said Worrall, 21. It's not a perfect solution. The Ventura County Fire Department's public information accounts confirmed there was a fire but posted only three tweets in the first two hours — a time when it ballooned to 2,500 acres and began drawing local and national attention. Help topics. She was raised in Thousand Oaks and graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in biology and English literature. Riverside County election workers quarantined after some test positive for the coronavirus. ", In the end, Swindle said, "They're citizens helping citizens.". Los Angeles County has issued a new COVID-19 pandemic order in a desperate move aimed at slowing an unprecedented surge of coronavirus infections. "Certain things shouldn't be tweeted," he said. Youtube. MORE:Inmates battle to save famed rose garden from Thomas wildfire, "I've been working off very little sleep because I know people are desperate for information," he said in an interview. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Hugh Grant never wanted to be Hollywood’s ‘romantic Englishman.’ So he gave it up, The actor, once known for romantic comedies, has taken on darker roles of late — including as a potentially dangerous version of himself in HBO’s “The Undoing.”, Coronavirus restrictions take hold across California as hospitalizations hit record territory.