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In the weeks since the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) Test in NYC occurred, we here at AWARE have been hearing from emergency managers and others in the emergency management community that they would like to know more about CMAS. There seems to be a good deal of uncertainty about what CMAS is, how it works and what it means for them. So we thought a little CMAS “101″ would be in order.
Following up to our November article about the initial wireless carrier announcements around the upcoming Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) launch, it looks like all four major carriers now sport information on their websites explaining the system and how it will work. Of note, it looks like the preferred term for the system is “Wireless Emergency Alerts” rather than CMAS, but most use both terms interchangeably. (The term “Personal Localized Alerting Network” or “PLAN” does not appear.)
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Today Sprint publicly announced the launch of a new functionality for its network: Wireless Emergency Alerts, which is the term many wireless carriers are using for the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) / Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN). The announcement comes as FEMA prepares for the nationwide deployment of CMAS in April 2012. Sprint describes the WEA/CMAS capability as follows:
Wireless Emergency Alerts allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to accept and deliver warning messages to wireless networks from the president of the United States, the National Weather Service and state and local emergency operations centers. Sprint customers will be able to effectively and accurately receive warnings and safety information via text alerts to mobile phones that are equipped with the enabling software and based on their geographic location.
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While vacationing with her family at the beach this summer, one of our AWARE editors experienced first-hand a prime situation in which alerts to mobile devices–like those that will be enabled by the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS)–will be critical. But with a goal of reaching as many members of the public as possible, the limitations of CMAS were equally as evident.
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During the month of September, AWARE will be hosting a series of posts from guest authors highlighting the five most significant innovations in the field of alerts and warnings in the past decade since 9/11. This post is the second of three on the CMAS Users Trial conducted in San Diego, authored by Stephen Rea, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator of the County of San Diego (California) Office of Emergency Services.
As part of a coordinated effort with Sprint and the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA), The County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services (OES) had a unique opportunity to become the first in the nation to test the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS, also known as the Personalized Local Alerting Network, or PLAN) on a large scale. During the October 2010 trial, over 50 imminent threat and AMBER alerts were generated. These alerts were received by 120 mobile phones preloaded with CMAS software. Our intent was to put PLAN through its paces by simulating large and small disasters ranging from earthquakes and tsunamis to hazardous materials spills.
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