[BC] Disaster preparedness

[EAS_PM@oes.ca.gov]

------ At 12:58 PM 11/8/2005, Rich Wood wrote: -------
...........snip..............
>There's no perfect system for every city.

Well, that's kinda my point in all this too.  Everyone has a 'solution' but
it is only one of many solutions!  Cell phones alone are not the answer;
---although a very good "portability" answer; the internet, satellite,
terrestrial broadcast radio, TV down to "speakers on a stick" can not stand
alone as THE system.  ALL must work together in order to build a
comprehensive alert and warning system.

I recall growing up (and later as a member) in a small rural Michigan
farming town, that our local all-volunteer FD had two "fire whistles" to
alert the volunteers to a fire.  These were used IN ADDITION to the old
'Plectron' pagers going back into the '60s.  These sirens also had a dual
purpose of tornado warning (different wail sound) and attack warning
(again, different wail sound).  I note that those sirens are still in use
today (and tested at noon still.........serves as a lunch whistle too!!)

There are several communities in California that use sirens.  San Francisco
just spent millions placing state-of-the-art "smart sirens" in its
community.  Many local governments are re-thinking the siren issues,
notably the Tsunami Warnings along the coast and most importantly, a
MULTI-HAZARD siren such as San Francisco has.  Washington State has also
done the same along its coast.  Smart sirens take digital signals including
VoIP audio to act as a public address system in addition to some audio
siren.  This new technology can interface with scrolling message signs
also.  Much improvement has happened in just this field since the day of
the 'air raid siren'.

In areas where there are Nuclear Power Plants (California has two) and they
are located along the coast, the multi-hazard use has become an issue.
These old sirens are being replaced with the new smart-sirens to accomplish
this mission.  But, as I stated, sirens alone do not accomplish a
comprehensive alert and warning system.  EAS, using broadcast radio, TV,
cable & NWR together add to the "tool box".  Internet web site pop ups,
PDA, pager, cell phones, continue the extensive notification challenges.

The biggest challenge is really not what type of technology, but educating
the citizens to choose the technology and in the same breath, educating the
authorized officials to actually USE the technology.  My mentor, Stan
Harter, used to say, "The EAS is the fastest, cheapest, and the most
effective means of warning the public-bar none!"  And I use that quite
often also, however, I do not rely on just the EAS and its 1980 technology
alone!  We produced things like EDIS (Emergency Digital Information
Service) to continue the information flow.  EDIS is currently undergoing a
major revision, that once completed, will truly offer a more extensive
alert and warning system to California.  ( http://www.edis.ca.gov )

Ben J. Green
Assistant Chief, Telecommunications
EPI Program
California OES