You know, sometimes all this social media stuff can be a hassle. I like posting, tweeting, blogging and the rest. But occasionally I get sick of the anonymous opinions the sharing of pictures, political banter and “I need 1 million likes to quit smoking” nonsense.

Still social media has once again proven useful and while I am sure there are many ways it was useful during the Boston Marathon Bombing this past week. For me it was useful in a personal way. I have met many people in EMS through social media and have continued that relationship via phone and at conferences (at least those that mother nature lets me get to). Two of these connections are Greg Friese and Carissa Caramanis O’Brien.

When I first turned on the TV and saw what was happening I immediately went to FaceBook and Twitter to see if they were OK. Greg was running in the marathon and Carissa lives in Boston. To my relief there were postings from them both that they were OK. Several actually, many of my other social media connections where way ahead of me and were posting inquires to their safety not only on their personal pages but also on fan pages as well. All in an effort to gain knowledge of their well being.

I was relieved to know they were alright and also sat back a moment and realized how useful Facebook can be. I think about the days when it was much harder to get information like this. I remember 9/11 when I was at ground zero and people I knew could not find out how I was. I remember my brother who worked in the area and fellow responders and how none of us knew if we were safe injured or trapped.

Having social media and a wide net of people who can reach out, pass the word on and give information allowed media like Facebook and Twitter to show that they are indeed more than kitten videos, one sided political rants and meme pictures.

That they are more than methods to show an out of control paramedic or racist EMT. That they can show EMS and responders do much more than that. That most if us do just what all the pictures, videos and news reports have shown the past week. Running toward the dangers, stepping into situations others cannot and asking for nothing in return.

Kudos to the Boston EMS professionals, firefighters and law enforcement for a great job done by all. While you can’t believe everything you see on Facebook. The pictures and videos from this event tell no lies.

Tonight 4/21/13 on the live podcast we will be discussing the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Texas explosion and other related topics. Join us at 7PM EST to chat live or even call in toll free

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/emss/2013/04/21/ems-situational-awareness-vs-the-situation