Flaws noted in broadcast alert system

Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

In case of an actual emergency, as the announcement goes, this test of the emergency broadcast system in Southern Nevada could use help.

The Nevada Broadcasters Association says while Clark County's alert broadcasts, typically heard and seen on TV for anything from natural disasters to chemical spills, are adequate, the system needs to be streamlined to get information to people in Southern Nevada quicker.

Falling under scrutiny in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the system is being revamped to operate more quickly and efficiently. An updated statewide plan is expected to be completed by the end of this year and will be forwarded to the Federal Communications Commission for approval. "If we had an incident now, we would be able to do a good job," said Bob Fisher, president and chief executive officer of the association. " But since Sept. 11, good is not good enough. We want to do the best job possible. ...

"We want to make sure that everyone is up to speed, that the plans are understood by all the stations and all the public safety agencies."

Alerts are normally initiated by an incident commander, such as a law enforcement official or local government emergency manager. The warnings are then transmitted to the weather service and to local broadcasters. There is plenty of room for human error, however, which is another area the broadcasters would like to correct.

"One issue that is getting fixed is that local governments will have encoder equipment to send out their own alerts without having to go through the weather service," said Ron McQueen, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. "Right now we just have an inefficient way of doing business."

In addition to a state plan, the broadcasters are amending individual plans for southern, northern and eastern Nevada. Fisher said the Southern Nevada plan, which includes Nye and Lincoln counties, must be amended to address the challenge of alerting rural areas. Rugged terrain, for instance, can play havoc with radio signals.

Steve Scott, an engineer for Sinclair Broadcasting in Las Vegas and vice chairman of the association committee amending the alert network plans, said the group is thinking about encouraging people to purchase radios that have the capability of setting off an alarm or flashing signal whenever authorities want to alert the public about an emergency.

"What if you were sleeping right now?" Scott said. "How would you know that a truck carrying nuclear material had an accident and that you shouldn't go outside?"

Committee chairwoman Adrienne Abbott, assignment editor for KOLO-TV in Reno, said the alert system plans are also being updated to avoid system breakdowns. Her station, for instance, was unable to conduct a test because of a problem with its main broadcasting tower.

"If there was an emergency, the system would work," she said, "but we want it to be more flexible."