26 Jan 2018
Posted by Chris Jones 
Many of us get breaking stories from Twitter and news apps, but what if you want a specialised service that lets you know about alerts from the emergency services and Met Éireann as soon as they are announced? Kildare student Jack Jordan thinks he has the answer.
A Transition Year student at Scoil Dara in Kilcock, Jack has developed a mobile app called ÉIRElert, which is designed to alert users of weather warnings and emergency situations. It provides updates in real time and offers advice on what to do next.
“During Hurricane Ophelia in October 2017, I realised there was no one centralised place for people to get up-to-date information on what they needed to know,” he says. “With this in mind, I launched this app.”
As well as the live alerts, there’s a well-researched ‘Actions’ section which contains practical advice for what do to in a variety of emergency situations, from major weather events and flooding to terrorist attacks and nuclear incidents.
The app also provides a list of links to useful websites, such as An Garda Síochana, the National Ambulance Service, ESB Powercheck and AA Roadwatch.
“Our live updates come from trusted sources,” says Jack, “normally well-known journalists as well as members of the emergency services. A large proportion of the app’s built-in information comes directly from the Office of Emergency Planning. The rest comes from other government agencies and even some from the UK authorities.”
Jack says that the app is for everyone, but he hopes that it will be especially useful for older people who might need a one-stop shop for all the information they need in an emergency, or for emergency planners and local councils that need to provide people with information in a time of disaster.
At the minute, ÉIRElert is updated and maintained by Jack alone, but he is ambitious about its future: “The ultimate goal is to expand into other countries and have a team available 24/7 to push live updates to the app,” he says. “I would also love to forge partnerships with government agencies to promote the app as a modern solution to information handling.”
Looking further ahead, Jack hopes that his passion for the emergency services will help him forge a career in that area. “I think I might go to the UK and do studies in emergency services or law enforcement. It’s always been something I’m interested in and I think I could make a difference there.
“Long-term, my ambitions are to join the emergency services or law enforcement, make a difference in people’s daily lives and keep people safe.”
