The 6th Annual 2010 Emergency Alert System Summit, funded by the National Association of Broadcasters, was held March 1 in Washington, D.C. In attendance were more than 175 emergency managers, broadcasters, cable operators and state broadcasters association representatives from 44 states and territories, according to a comprehensive article on www.radiomagonline.com.
The yearly Summit is designed to connect broadcasters and the Federal government on issues surrounding public alerting in times of crisis. The Summit generated significant interest this year, as a great deal of new attention is being placed on the nation's alerting infrastructure and the broadcasters' associated role.
Some of the highlights include:
- Discussion on a recent bill passed in Nevada naming broadcasters as first responders with priority for food, water, and fuel during a disaster. Broadcasters support this concept. Though broadcasters provide assurances their motivation is strictly centered on the priority receipt of staple items, others feel it might open the door for broadcasters to apply for public safety money.
-FEMA's intended target date to adopt CAP (and start the clock rolling on a 180-day deadline for broadcasters' equipment to comply) is currently August/September 2010. However, FEMA stated that the delay in OASIS's adoption of CAP v1.2 as an international standard until the end of May 2010 will likely push FEMA's deadline until Q4 of 2010.
-FEMA's Geo-Targeted Alerting System (GTAS) application was introduced. See our previous post here.
-Five new Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations (stations with dedicated power circuits connected to emergency command centers) will be added this year to the existing 41. FEMA is committed to having a total of 74 PEP stations with coverage of 90 percent of the U.S. population by the end of 2011.
-The National Weather Service (NWS) said its CAP alert website will be in full production within the next two months. Also, the Weather Radio Improvement Program (WRIP), slated to be completed in two years, will offer CAP message input into NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) systems.
In all, feedback suggests the Summit was helpful and well-received by all audiences. The broadcast community is certainly a critical player in warning the public, and its great to see effective communication among the key stakeholders.
All the best,
Lorin
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