[EAS] [] Daisy Chain

[Adrienne Abbott]

Great idea, but no, legacy EAS technology isn't any different for EM's than
it is for broadcasters. Whether the EM is in front of the box or using a
phone interface, there's a lot of programming to do to record an audio
message and put out an activation or a test. Either way, it's a step
backwards...CAP software eliminates the need to push the buttons on legacy
EAS equipment. The user--Emergency Manager, dispatcher or other staff simply
fills out boxes in a form. The CAP software parses the information into
messages appropriate to the warning platform--EAS, CMAS (cell phone text
messages), email, social media, etc. That one form takes care of everything,
eliminates the need for creating separate messages for different
technologies and provides an easy way to get consistent information,
including non-EAS messages, to the public. Yes, the software costs $$$, and
more than anything else, that's the biggest stumbling block to effective
Public Warning. But the basic program, software only, is not that
expensive--less than the cost of a new city vehicle. 

All you've got to do is get the nose of the CAP camel into the tent, then
your state and local officials will see the potential and like any new
technology, they'll want the entire beast. Many EM's use WebEOC...the
company that developed WebEOC is adding a CAP module and that may be the
easiest way to ease CAP into your tent. The other CAP developers all offer
an affordable, basic "starter" packages because they know how well their
product works. Get together with your Broadcasters Association and set up a
Demo Day, invite state and local officials in to play with the equipment and
see what it can do. Invite Manny Centeno from FEMA and start with his
demonstration because he demonstrates the technology without pitching for
any specific company. 

Beware that some state and local governments have very complex, convoluted
and confusing rules when it comes to major equipment purchases. The
Byzantine processes can present more of a problem that the actual funding.
Learn the rules before you start bringing in vendors or accepting free
equipment "on loan" from manufacturers. 

As far as your old legacy EAS units, EM's should have that old equipment in
their EOC's as a way to confirm that the test or activation was issued.
You'd be surprised how many EOC's don't have radios or over the air
TV's...and you never know when it might actually be needed.

Adrienne Abbott
Nevada EAS Chair

>Having had to manually send an RWT (not the "quick button") from some of
the broadcast-targeted Encoder/Decoders, and understanding the procedure to
manually send a non-test message, I would hope that the EMs have something
quite a bit more user friendly than these boxes.  If they don't, is there an
easy-to-use software or hardware solution availble that we might suggest
they look at?  The EM here is great at communicating but he has a lot more
to do than to communicate via EAS -- I would hope that sending an EAS
message is not a major hinderance in a time where he's being pulled in 20+
different directions.  

Eric>