How Public Safety Uses Emergency Alarms

Emergency alarms are designed to do just this, sounding loud and clear to warn those affected quickly and effectively of what's occurring and how they should respond.

Emergency alerts may be activated due to natural disasters, chemical spills or other potentially life-threatening situations. They could also sound in response to aircraft crashes or fires at schools, workplaces or public areas; or by police when criminal acts have taken place and need to warn the public.

Emergency alerts might seem like a great idea, but there may also be negatives associated with them. Some individuals may become overwhelmed with too many alerts from their smartphones - leading them to ignore or misunderstand messages; other may become annoyed that some alerts seem politically biased - leading them to distrust in the system and possibly create conspiracy theories online like following the controversial test of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) in 2018.

Public safety officials can maximize the effectiveness of alert systems by developing and implementing best practices when using them, such as creating and implementing an Alert and Warning Plan that specifies when, how, and why alerts will be issued. It should also include message templates for specific types of emergencies.

lone worker pendant Planned communication strategies must outline who has the authority to initiate/send messages, what systems will be utilized for various types of emergencies, and how registering/opt-ing in can save both time and confusion should a real incident arise.

WEAs provide an example of how these systems can be implemented and worked out in practice. Triggered by authorized federal, state and local agencies and delivered to mobile devices equipped with appropriate software, WEAs can appear as texts on phones that identify emergency types as well as affected locations and duration of alert. They may also contain contact details as well as instructions on what actions need to be taken next.





Emergency Alerts can also be broadcasted using sirens strategically positioned around a community, or through radio and TV broadcasters. Such sirens tend to be less terrifying and have more of an immediate effect on behavior compared with more traditional "two-tone" warning sirens commonly associated with nuclear fallout drills.

As soon as an emergency alert is activated, affected members of the public are directed to tune into their local radio or television station for more information and instructions, including what actions to take should they feel threatened; such as seeking shelter or calling an emergency hotline.