[EAS] Should the RWT EAS Code be abolished? II

[Bill Ruck]

At 11:54 AM 11/24/2011, you wrote:
>...
>Oh.  A reason for a local station to initiate an EAS event - at the
>behest of local authorities (sheriff, mayor, etc.), especially in areas
>where there IS only one or two stations... which I believe was the
>intent of the CIV code, in part.

Let's think this through.

"The dam is about to burst"

The sheriff calls a local radio station.  Gets voice mail.  He tries 
another local radio station.  Gets no answer.  Reality is that nobody 
is there.  At any of the stations.

So how does an alert get on the air?  Is he following the Local 
Operating Plan?  Is the plan up to date?  Does a Local Operating Plan 
even exist?

Consider this.

The sheriff calls his PSAP, staffed 24 x 7.  His call taker / 
dispatcher brings up a program with templates, fills in a little 
data, and clicks SEND.  A completely formatted CAP message is 
sent.  (Note that the days of a 10 button key set, a wired radio 
remote, and paper forms are long over, even in the smallest 
communities.  911 requires a much smarter interface and almost all 
dispatch centers today operate with a computer.)

The stations with the appropriate location codes get the message, 
interrupt programming, and put the message on the air.  Elapsed time: seconds.

At the same time every cell phone, every iPod/Android/etc, every 
computer in that area gets the message.

So where does the RMT fit into this scenario?

It doesn't.

Once again, I believe the people in the United States deserve nothing 
less than prompt accurate emergency public information.

And CAP is the way to do this.

Bill Ruck
Curmudgeon
San Francisco