[EAS] ipawsnonweather question

[Sean Donelan]

On Wed, 1 Aug 2018, Adrienne Abbott wrote:
> While I find the question a little patronizing, my answer is: ...because
> that's who we are, that's what we do, that's how we're made. From the
> "Minute Men" of the Revolutionary war to the Cold War era "Civil Defense
> Volunteers", to the Volunteer Firefighters, Ham radio operators and Red
> Cross volunteers on the lines of the wildland fires here in the West, it's
> what we do. It's who we are. It's how we're made. It's in our genetics. I
> can't explain it because I don't know how I could stand by and just assume
> that the government is going to do a better job of running EAS than I am.

NGOs like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other groups are a necessary 
part of every disaster response.  A large number of volunteers respond in 
disasters. But NGO's also have dedicated paid staff that makes sure 
everything is ready, the volunteers have training in advance, the trucks 
are purchased, the radios are bought, the shelter agreements are in 
place, the warehouses have supplies, the insurance policies are paid in 
case volunteers are injured.

The paid NGO staff lets the volunteers do the disaster response work 
better because the volunteers don't have to scramble to figure things out.

> Don't make the mistake of assuming that, just because the "gummint" doesn't
> fund us, that there's any less validity or value to what we do. We didn't
> fall off the last turnip truck that rolled through town. We bring a lot of
> knowledge and institutional information to the party.

And if one of you gets hit by the turnip truck, or is out of town, who 
replaces your knowledge if there is no institution?

Having institutions is part of that institutional knowledge.

> That said, "funding", government, NGO or corporate, would be nice. I'd like
> some $$$ to defray the cost of printing and distributing updated EAS plans,
> some $$$ to pay travel costs for EAS SECC members to attend meetings, some
> $$$ for training broadcasters and originators on the use of EAS, even a few
> bucks for a new laptop for a certain volunteer. But not having that $$$
> doesn't mean CAP EAS/WEA won't happen here. It's just not how we're made...

Have a bake sale?  It doesn't need to be "gummint" money. But its 
difficult to get any type of money (gummit, grants or corporate) for SECCs 
which often don't have any legal existance. Broadcast associations used to 
fund it as an industry cost, but even associations are cutting back.

There are 50 states, 7 territories and DC.  CAP EAS/WEA isn't 
really functional in all them. And only used by state/local officials in a 
fraction of them for various reasons.

I compliment the work you've done in Nevada and other people have 
done in a few other states. But its fractured across the country.
Best practices, training courses, performance evaluations, coordination 
with first responders, research and science studies.

> Anyone else with an answer to Sean's question???