[EAS] concerning the request for new weather Event Codes

[Sean Donelan]

On Fri, 8 Jul 2016, Botterell, Arthur at CalOES wrote:
> One other consideration, Sean, is that single-mode warnings are 
> notoriously less effective than warnings delivered over multiple 
> channels.

And you should pick a combination of alerting channels.  That doesn't mean
activating the regional EAS everytime the smoke detector in my kitchen 
goes off.  Some alerting channels are more appropriate for wide-area
emergencies. Other alerting channels are more approriate for local 
emergencies. In most cases you will use a multiple (but not all) alerting 
channels during different phases of an emergency.

Trying to use Twitter for every emergency is just as much of a problem
as trying to use EAS for every emergency. There are multiple tools in
the alerting toolbox.  Use several tools, not just one hammer.

> Another complication is that many jurisdictions are stuck in the Civil 
> Defense assumption that public warning in general and EAS in particular 
> will originate from a bunker... er, sorry, an EOC somewhere.  In modern 
> reality most requirements for public warning arise in the field, 
> typically with an Incident Commander or equivalent.  Most of those folks 
> in most jurisdictions haven't been trained or empowered to use WEA, much 
> less EAS.  So it should be no surprise that when they need to influence 
> public behavior they use the tools they have at hand... sirens and PAs 
> and lots of shouting.

Incident commanders are usually in communications with "the bunker."

Successfull incident commanders also know how to delegate things.
For example, its common during an on-scene building fire, the incident 
commander may order fire fighters to evacuate the building due to an 
imminent building collapse.  The incident command gives the 
evacuation order, and the radio dispatchers back at the bunker begin 
broadcasting the evacuation order over the high-powered transmitters to 
reach more fire fighters deeper inside a building.  Its part of the 
dispatcher's training, so an incident commander doesn't even have to 
remember to tell the dispatchers to do it.

The myth that a field police officer or fire captain is going to send an 
EAS message from the squad car or fire truck is silly.  The purpose of a
communications center and public information officers is to take the load 
off the incident commanders in the field.

Dallas PD public information officers were tweeting throughout the 
incident. PIO's don't read the EAS handbook. PIO's use the PIO handbook.

During the Boston bomber multi-day hunt and city shutdown; PIOs used 
highway signs and press conferences.  I don't remember any EAS messages
being sent.