[EAS] LA Times: Reeling from the deadliest wildfire in a, century Maui sees ghosts from Californias past

[Barry Mishkind]

Hi Rod,

1. I am not so sure it is the "this never happened here before" so much as "we have information and do not feel a need to share until we want to do so." PIOs and broadcasters MUST find common ground where instant communication can happen - and does.

2. PIOs need to be trained to reach out - not waiting for incoming calls - when something is starting, even if it is to say "there are reports of fires on highway 2933 near Tomtown." 

3. Broadcasters who - legitimately or not - have no staff, no news department, and just run automation during emergencies should have some penalty. Not sure whether the GM should be put in stocks. But that is not public service. Why couldn't a local area's stations combine to have a rotor list of someone to be available 24/7 and *share* with the other stations? Oh! There is no one at the other stations. ring the buzzer. 

4. I have stated many times that, given the gear and the system, broadcasters should be out helping small stations and government agencies understand and operate EAS boxes. As we will discuss on the BDR Lunch Gathering today, too many stations are still running software that is incompatible with the FEMA IPAWS CAP.

5. Just as broadcasters complain about an unfunded mandate vs "cooperation" from EMs, the broadcasters themselves lock out a lot of things because the GM and PD are *not* invested in the community, aside from cashing checks.

Yes, there are solutions. A few areas have made major improvements. Many other LECCs exist only on paper. Some SECCs - especially in this "mandatory" filing with the FCC, due last year - function only on the absolutely bare existence level. The lack of support from owners and GMs makes this happen: committees are filled with bureaucrats and powerless broadcast employees.

Not everwhere.

Too many places.