California’s Senate Governmental Organization Committee on April 10, passed State Senator Mike McGuire’s bill, which requires a “red alert” system to be inaugurated in all California counties. Due to an unprecedented amount of devastating wildfires in California, McGuire stated it was, “clear there are significant shortcomings [to California’s current] Emergency Alert System and residents deserve timely notifications and up-to-date information.”
The destructive 2017 wildfires in California revealed the lack of adequate public safety technology and the need for better statewide emergency systems, Marin Independent Journal reported. McGuire explained that authorizing alerts over multiple forms of media is crucial, because during the October firestorms, many cell phone towers were knocked out, internet services weren’t working, and cable services were unresponsive. The fires demolished more than 6,000 homes, racked up billions of dollars in damages, and caused 44 deaths. Although it was catastrophic, McGuire said that thousands of residents experiencing the disaster received zero emergency alerts from the state system.
Marin Independent Journal explained that the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system would allow people who own cell phones to receive geographically targeted text messages that alert them of forthcoming threats in their area. The system was established in 2008, and became operational in 2012, and McGuire indicated a “reliable” system like WEA was critical for the state’s public safety. The FCC says that more than 33,000 messages have been sent through WEA since 2012 to alert the public of looming threats and dangerous weather, Inside Towers reported.
The WEA system uses cell towers to send alerts to WEA-enabled mobile devices. WEA messages are originated by emergency alerting authorities and sent through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to wireless carriers, Inside Towers reported. Officials predict in the near future, almost all commercially sold mobile phones will be WEA-capable; currently, some devices do not receive these alerts, the Marin Independent Journal reported.
Each Emergency Management Office within a county in California will be required to register for the WEA system and the bill also states, each county must keep up-to-date with WEA software and suitable ancillary equipment, including reliable wireless towers.
April 19, 2018
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