Emergency alerts are designed to be fast, far-reaching and unmissable, but what happens when they aren't, when they're delayed, misdirected or never sent at all?

Today we're looking at what can go wrong with the emergency alert system and why it matters more than you think.

Hey, I'm tyler woodward, a certified broadcasting networking technologist from the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and I'm a senior broadcast engineer based in the Midwest.

This is Fully Modulated, where signal meets podcast.

We're continuing our series on the emergency alert system and today we're going to talk about one of the most important tools we have in the United States for keeping people safe.

One of the most important tools we have in the United States for keeping people safe, but it's not perfect.

Today we're going to explore the weak links in the chain human mistakes, hardware hiccups, gaps in coverage and why those things matter when seconds count.

We'll look at real-world failures, uneven infrastructure and the limits of clarity and language access when delivering a message that's supposed to save lives.

But first a little disclaimer Fully Modulated is an independent podcast and website.

It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or represents any radio or television station, media company or broadcast network.

All opinions expressed are those of myself.

At its core, eas is a system of trust.

We trust it to interrupt everything from the morning traffic reports to primetime sitcoms when something serious is happening.

But EAS is only as strong as its weakest link in the chain, and that weak link could be a tired engineer, a misconfigured receiver or a missed software update.

Take the infamous 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii.

A routine test became a full-blown panic when a worker clicked the wrong item in a drop-down menu.

People ran for their lives after an alert mistakenly warned residents and visitors of an incoming ballistic missile.

An employee at Hawaii's emergency management agency pushed the wrong button not once but twice, triggering a wave of panic amid tensions over the threat of a nuclear strike from North Korea.

At 8.07 Saturday morning, cell phones started buzzing with a message saying seek immediate shelter.

This is not a drill.

State authorities canceled the alert at 8.13, six minutes later.

That was broadcast across radio television and even sent to phones using the wireless emergency alert.

It took 38 minutes to issue a correction.

The system worked technically, but procedurally it was an absolute disaster.

There weren't enough fail-safes, the interface was confusing and, because the system depends on humans to initiate it, it will always be vulnerable to human mistakes.

Now oom out.

Eas relies heavily on the broadcast ecosystem radio TV, cable systems and satellite but many stations, especially in smaller markets, may not have updated gear or consistent procedures.

I've worked at both LP1s and LP2 stations and I currently engineer several SR stations.

Even with regular vigilance, breakdowns happen.

If the designated LP1 or LP2 station in a market is off the air or maybe their decoder is misconfigured, the entire local relay can fail.

Cap servers can go down, software certifications expire.

If stations aren't regularly testing and logging, nobody might notice until well, a real alert fails.

According to a 2021 FCC report, nearly 14% of broadcasters did not successfully transmit the nationwide EAS test.

The reasons Equipment failures, reception issues and outdated firmware.

I mean, you name it.

It probably happened.

That's not a design flaw, that's just a maintenance failure.

Lisa Fowkes, former chief at the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, put it best To the public.

The emergency alert system seems automatic, like a fire alarm, but it's really more like a fire drill.

It only works when everyone knows their part and the system is regularly tested and maintained Unquote when the EAS works.

There's another big issue Can people understand the message?

Clarity is everything in an emergency, but EAS audio, especially the robotic text-to-speech versions, can be difficult to understand.

Robotic text-to-speech versions can be difficult to understand.

Between compression, broadcast processing and station audio chains, the results can sound jumbled, flat or just flat-out unintelligible.

Messages are often built from templates filled with abbreviations, acronyms and FIPS codes.

That might work internally, but it can confuse the public.

During a weather emergency, a message like Tornado Warning for FIPS Code 017031 means absolutely nothing to most of the public.

The National Weather Service has improved messaging, using clearer language and better localization, but EAS is still bound by character limits and rigid formatting and if the alert is too long or too frequent, people start ignoring it altogether A well-known cry wolf effect.

Broadcast processing also plays a role.

Heavy audio compression on FM stations can garble alerts On HD radio.

Digital time delays can make alerts feel out of sync, and on streaming platforms alerts may not reach listeners at all.

A study from the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management found that EAS message comprehension drops sharply when alerts use technical terms run over 30 seconds or are repeated without any updates, but when alerts are rewritten in plain English and voiced by an actual human public, understanding jumped by 22%.

Another FEMA study showed that wireless emergency alerts those brief mobile messages outperformed EAS and clarity and speed in many urban areas.

So what's the takeaway?

Jeanette Salton, a disaster communications expert, said, quote unquote.

Now let's talk about some quick tips.

Number one double check interfaces and menus.

If you work at an agency or broadcast station that sends alerts, pay close attention to the software you're using.

Many past incidents, like the Hawaii Missile Crisis, started because someone selected the wrong option in a confusing drop-down menu.

Ask yourself does this system make it clear whether you're sending a test or a real alert?

If you're not in the industry, think about the systems you use every day, whether it's scheduling software or banking apps.

Better design can prevent big mistakes.

Clear labels, confirmation prompts and smart defaults are good for everyone.

Number two keep systems and software updated.

A surprising number of EAS failures happen because stations don't keep their equipment up to date.

Certificates expire, firmware gets old, compatibility breaks down.

For the broadcast professionals.

Put software updates and certificate renewals on your maintenance calendar.

Don't wait for something to fail.

For everyone else out there, this is a reminder that the same principle applies to your own tech.

Update your phone, your computer and your router.

Many outages and security issues can be prevented with a simple routine update.

Number three use plain language whenever you can.

Technical jargon might be clear to the insiders, but in a crisis, simplicity saves lives.

If you're writing an alert, use everyday words.

Instead of FIPS code 017031, say Southwestern Jefferson County For non-broadcast folks.

Think about how you write instructions or share information at work.

Can a new person understand it on the first read?

And if not, it's probably too complicated?

And number four audit your alert chain.

On a normal basis In broadcasting, eas relies on a chain of stations relaying messages.

If any link in that chain goes down, like a station off the air, a decoder misconfigured or an antenna that got accidentally disconnected, the alert may never reach the public.

Engineers know your LP1 and LP2 stations and verify their signals, often Log your weekly and monthly tests and actually read the logs For everyone else out there.

This is a great analogy for any process you depend on If your emergency plans, supply chains or workflows rely on multiple steps.

Do a dry run every now and then Make sure each link is solid before you actually need it.

Now, my favorite part of the episode listener questions.

I got one from Mike down in Texas.

He asked why doesn't EAS come in multiple languages, especially in places like California or my home state of Texas?

Well, and that's a great question.

Technically it can.

Fema Common Alerting Protocol, cap, supports multiple language fields, but in practice, many alert originators use English-only templates.

Why Time and resources?

Basically, a UCLA study in Los Angeles found that, although more than half of the population speaks another language other than English, only 12% of alerts include a second language.

This is such a solvable issue, but it needs policy, staffing and a workflow that makes translation fast and automatic.

So here's the bottom line.

Eas was built for the media landscape of the 1990s and it's done well adapting, but it wasn't designed to interrupt your podcast or pause your Netflix stream, and that's kind of a problem.

Streaming platforms like YouTube TV, spotify or Apple Podcasts.

They're not required to carry EAS alerts, which means more people could miss critical warnings, especially because they're not tuned in to traditional media.

We're living in a hybrid world one foot in broadcast one foot in digital, and EAS hasn't fully made the leap.

Fema and the FCC have explored ways to mandate, or at least incentivize, alert delivery through streaming, but the legal path is, well you know, complicated and slow.

There's also the challenge of language.

Most EAS messages are in English only.

Some large market stations do issue bilingual alerts, but there's no standard.

That leaves out millions of people.

Fema's IPAL system can't support multilingual messages, but most alerts still go out in English only.

Why?

Because writing and translating a message under pressure isn't easy.

Until that process is automated or at least better supported, huge portions of the public remain underserved.

Antoine Johnson, former director of FEMA's IPAWS division, said, quote emergency alerting is a public service, not a technical one.

If the alert doesn't reach everyone, it hasn't done its job.

Unquote reach everyone, it hasn't done its job.

Unquote.

Today we saw how EAS is great for broadcast but struggles to keep up with streaming and mobile.

Wea and iPause help fill in the gaps, but other gaps still remain.

The future calls for new systems designed for the digital media landscape, with stronger participation from tech platforms.

Next time we'll dig into how state and local emergency managers actually use EAS behind the scenes, the coordinations and challenges that make it all work.

If you've got a question or feedback or maybe a story about emergency alerting, I'd love to hear from you.

There's a link down in the episode description or you can email Tyler at fullymodulatedcom.

Fully Modulated runs on curiosity and modulators.

Like you, if you want to help keep this show going and explore broadcast tech with me, head over to fullymodulatedcom to become a modulator today.