[EAS] Whole New Ballgame

[Bill Ruck]

I've been thinking about this off and on for a while but last night 
was kept awake by the last slice of corn meal crust basil pesto 
artichoke pizza.  Maybe next time use less garlic . . .

!!Warning!! Bill is getting up on his soap box!!

Appears to me that multiple layers of band-aids over turning off and 
on the carrier three times is not working.  I do not see any point in 
discussing what color of band-aid to put over the layers of 
band-aids.  Alternatively I propose that we take all of this and file 
it under history and start over again with a blank piece of white 
paper.  Get some really smart people together representing various 
groups and have them outline a new system that makes the best use of 
today's communication technologies.

On the left hand side of that piece of white paper list the 
originators: Feds, Weather, state, county, city, reservation, 
etc.  All of the agencies that need to warn the public.

On the right hand side of that piece of white paper write "The 
Public".  Just to the left of that list potential technologies that 
can bring a warning message to The Public: radio and TV broadcasting, 
cell phones, land line phones, WSP, ISP, Chrysler Hemi sirens, church 
bells, etc.  Perhaps consider lanterns in church steeples.

Between the agencies and the transmission technologies put a box 
marked "Magic" that connects the originating agencies to all of the 
transmission media.  That Magic Box takes one input from any of the 
originating agencies, does all of the protocol conversions, and 
immediately and simultaneously connects to ALL of the media.  Since 
this is a conceptual design we won't have to define the "Magic Box" 
internal workings but there are enough really smart people that can 
sort out the details.  No debate on which media is "better" -- use 
ALL of them.  The Magic Box sorts out how to accurately warn the 
right population so that areas that aren't affected are not 
bothered.  I see CAP as the glue to make this work.

Key part is developing consistent standard nationwide SOP and more 
importantly funding for continuous training of all of the staff at 
all of the agencies on how to use the system.

Perhaps include our neighbors to the north and south; emergencies do 
not respect borders.

I recognize that this won't get to the hermit that lives in a wood 
shack in the middle of the piney woods without running water, 
electricity, telephone, Internet, radio and TV but if done properly 
we can get close to 99% of the public.

Even for those that are "In the world but not of the world" the 
sirens will alert them to get out their horses and hitch them to 
their wagons.  The advantage of the Amish is that technology failures 
do not affect them at all; they have none.

The longer that this exercise is delayed the more people will be 
negatively affected.  IMHO the United States public deserve no less 
than a comprehensive, functioning, and accurate warning system.

Sigh

Bill is now getting off his soap box.

Bill Ruck
Curmudgeon
San Francisco