| Communities generally alert and notify the public as to emergency situations through one of the following methods: |
- Warning Sirens or Horns. These audible warning devices are used to attract attention and alert citizens to an emergency situation. Different tones or tone patterns may have various meanings. These devices are outdoor warning systems, and may not be heard indoors or inside vehicles.
- Emergency Alert System (EAS). The radio and television Emergency Alert System can disseminate community emergency information, including where to go for additional information. This notification system requires individuals to be tuned in to the radio or television at the time of the announcement.
- “All-Call” Telephoning. This notification method uses an automated system to ring up area telephones and provide a recorded message when telephones are answered. Obviously, this type of notification works only for people who are within earshot of a telephone.
- Announcements Over Cable Television. In some communities, cable systems are hard-wired to enable emergency response forces to relay announcements over all cable television stations. Viewers may be alerted by a tone alert with a line of text across the bottom of their television set, an automatic cut-in with a picture and voice transmission from the emergency scene or a local agency, or a cut-in using voice communication only. As with the Emergency Broadcast System, this notification method is useful to people who are tuned in to a broadcast channel.
- Residential Route-Alert. In this method, motor vehicles equipped with public address systems travel predesignated routes to notify people of the emergency situation. Persons inside buildings may not hear this method. An alternative is door-to-door knocking by officials on foot.
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