[BC] Yes, EAS works!

[Lotus Engineering]

      I can add to what Alan posted.  A few years ago during the NAB show's EAS meeting, an Amber alert here in Las Vegas was announced.  Within the hour, it was resolved even before the meeting adjourned, by a listener to one of My stations, KXPT, who was listening and saw the License plate on the truck in front of him on the freeway.  He called it in and a successful resolution was accomplished.  In a case about the same time, a kidnapper turned himself in telling the cops that there was so much Amber Alert activity on the radio and TV that he was afraid to go out.  In heavy hurricane, tornado and severe weather parts of the country I am sure there are a lot more stories of saving lives.  I'm terribly sorry if your egocentric DJ's are inconvenienced.  As a grandfather, I am very glad to have the Amber Alert System.  As member of the local search and rescue community with Civil Air Patrol, I am glad for alerts that save lives.  Heck it might even save my life!  That's worth a little convenience.  The system is not perfect, but it beats the hell out of doing nothing but complaining.

Bill Croghan CPBE WBØKSW
Chief Engineer,
KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD/KWWN/KWID
Co-Chair, Southern NV, Inyo CA EAS operational area
Lotus Broadcasting, Las Vegas, NV

-----Original Message-----
  From: Alan Alsobrook

Rob Landry wrote:

> On Fri, 8 Jun 2012, Kevin Raper wrote:

>> EAS is still an out of date Cold War Relic that should be thrown on

>> the Trash Heap of History.

> So say we all.

Two cases that I have direct confirmation of demonstrate that EAS does work, provided it's programed and operated correctly.

The first was a tornado, where a family in a mobile home escaped from it just prior to it being destroyed by a tornado. They said they heard the EAS tornado warning come out indicating one was in their immediate area.

About one minute after the alert ended they heard a strange sound growing louder. Due to the alert they took immediate action and able to get to safety only seconds before their home was destroyed.

The second was an Amber alert, with a child abducted by a pedophile, this one happened in the middle of a tropical storm no less. The Amber alert was one of 5 alerts that came out in the same hour. After hearing the alert a listener spotted the suspect vehicle and contacted police. A safe recovery and arrest were made. The feeling of law enforcement was the child would have most likely been killed and disposed of within a week had they not intervened.

Unfortunately in some locations EAS is very likely a failure, as those that are entrusted to program and operate it, feel that it is a "Cold War Relic" and could care less about it and likely program it to handle only minimum legal requirements if that much.

Call me old school, but I want to give the listeners of the stations I work with the best opportunity to survive and listen again tomorrow.

--

Alan Alsobrook CSRE AMD CBNT

St. Augustine Fl. 32086 904-829-8885

aalso at Bellsouth.net<mailto:aalso at Bellsouth.net>


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