When we first began to study public responses to Wireless Emergency Alerts in 2012, we immediately saw significant issues with alerts that were limited to 90-characters. Study participants indicated that these messages could not contain enough information to act upon, so instead of leading them to protect themselves, it led to them to search for more information ( see Bean et al. 2016 ). Information search to confirm the message is trustworthy and requires action is commonl

Much of the time that I have written about language inconsistency and the use of jargon in messages, it has been focused on WILDFIRE.  Many previous posts to the Warning Gallery have pointed to the use of operational and technical language (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 or Ready status, Set status, Go status) that has more meaning to responders and commanders than to the public.  In fact, we’ve published about the use of inconsistent language in the National Fire Protection A

Chemical fires are frightening. They represent a sort of "dread risk" that raises concerns about not only short term impacts but...

Recently, my colleague Dr. Michele Wood and I published a paper that defines and identifies dimensions of over-alerting. While some of...

When people have been told to protect themselves by taking shelter; when the conditions are highly uncertain; when the threat holds a...

When a warning has ended, do you send a message or do you let silence speak for you? Do you let the public figure out that the coast is...

This is a long post that includes a LOT of WEAs (14 to be exact). Because I followed the December 5, 2024 tsunami event fairly closely,...

When we take a look at the most prevalent WEA messages, the #1 type, following those issued by the National Weather Service for...

On Friday morning, June 13, Hawaiians were startled by a statewide WEA. It indicated that it was a TEST - in fact it was some sort of...

Just after 6:00 PM on Sunday, June 8, the Los Angeles Police Department used the IPAWS system to issue a Wireless Emergency Alert to a...

Live WEA tests are used to test the WEA system from end to end. This includes engaging the public who are receiving your messages and,...

There are presently more than 45 alert types for missing and endangered persons. They are frequently given names such as AMBER, Silver,...

A colleague sent this message to me, calling attention to the words "hazardous materials" and asking what might be a more plain language...

We've seen a lot of missing person alerts come through WEA these past few weeks. Many of them stand out for what they lack, but this...

There are a few reasons that really stand out about why an alert originator of public safety communicator could choose to send a...

Once in a while, a message will pop into the warn.pbs.org feed that is exceptional. This is one of those times. ** A complete, plain...

A few weeks ago, we wrote about "what makes a good missing person message?" and why an "all clear message" is so important. In this...

We like to highlight good messages and this Evacuation Order for flooding hits most of the marks. Issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff's...

From my perspective as a scholar who studies alerts and warnings, the thing about missing person alerts that really stands out is that...

At the Warn Room, we frequently hear about the need to issue "targeted and personalized" messages. This is primarily in reference to...