[EAS] Oroville Dam Evacuation...oh that was close

[Botterell, Arthur@CalOES]

Sean noted, "While the incident commander makes the initial decision..."

That's an interesting point.  Under NIMS, and its precursor SEMS here in California, authority properly rests with the Incident Commander in the field.  But, trapped in its heritage, EAS origination in particular tends to be located in an EOC or some other protected "bunker."  The connection between the IC and IPAWS is generally under-developed.  ICs are generally not schooled in the when, why or how of public warning.  Instead, somebody back in the bunker, who may not be in the chain of command at all, and who may be only slightly better trained in this stuff, is expected to decide those things.

It's somewhat tangential to our topic, but it's something I've been spending a fair amount of time on out here.

Art