[EAS] San Francisco Heat Alert

[Botterell, Arthur@CalOES]

Yep, that was a WEA.  I think there's always a temptation among emergency managers to use warning systems as a way of building a record of activity, especially when they don't really have a lot else they can contribute.  ("Never confuse Motion with Action.")  As I watch the evolution of WEA usage (handy tool: http://warn.pbs.org) I see ever more of these "hortatory" messages that aren't directly focussed on getting people to do or not do something specific.

One of the first examples I noted was during the pipeline protests up in North Dakota earlier this year.  The Sheriff up there used WEA to "read the riot act" to the demonstrators by instructing them that setting fire to property was a felony and that they should disperse.  (Yes, that one did have an unambiguous call-to-action, even though it read like a bit of an afterthought.)

And given the liberalization of WEA usage rules in the last R&O I suspect we'll see more drift in that direction.  Which I supose is good news if it eases any pressure on EAS.

All this is part of why I'm campaigning with FEMA to shift the emphasis on IPAWS training away from the hunker-in-the-bunker crowd toward empowering Incident Commanders in the field.

Art

PS - Here's a question:  We're seeing push-back nationwide over what some folks call "message flooding" on EAS from NOAA.  As best I can tell, this is because NOAA has a workflow evolved over many years of Weather Wire operation, wherein for a moving weather system they feel obliged to issue updated FFWs or whatever to re-localize the alert every so often, even though each of those interrupt the whole EAS operational area.  Would it make sense to suggest that NOAA use WEA but not EAS for such "short fused" alerts?  At least the ones below the level of TOR or TSU?  That way the alerts could be targeted geospatially and folks wouldn't get dupes (unless they happened to be driving directly under the path of the weather.)  It's a non-traditional idea, to be sure, but we seem to be verging on wholesale revolt by broadcasters now, and it might be better to concede a bit rather than lose everything.  Thoughts, anyone?

________________________________________
From: EAS <eas-bounces at radiolists.net> on behalf of Bill Ruck <ruck at lns.com>

City & County of San Francisco sent out a heat alert.  I'm guessing
it went through CMAS.  (I got tired of false alarms and my cell is
set to ignore all of them.)

Text:

Emergency Alert

High temps expected Check on neighbors Drink water Colling & heat
safety info at sfdph.org