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Colorado First Responders Find Use For Twitter

DENVER (AP) - Police, fire departments and other first responders to terrorist attacks, wildfires and other emergencies are exploring ways to take a more active role on social networks such as Twitter.

A conference in Denver where Israelis are teaching Colorado's first responders how to react to terrorist attacks includes tips on how Twitter has helped Colorado agencies respond to catastrophic events.

Colorado Division of Emergency Management spokesman Brandon Williams says agencies monitored Twitter during the Boulder fire in September that destroyed 166 homes and caused $217 million in damage.

Williams says emergency crews used information from Twitter to coordinate their response and communicate with the public.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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