Lawson Highlights Promising Applications of Digital Emergency Alert System

The Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS) currently being deployed at Public Television stations across the country has the potential of becoming a warning system for all hazards that can reach practically all devices, such as cell phones and PDAs, according to the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) President and CEO John Lawson.

Lawson made his comments during the Homeland Defense Journal’s Emergency Communication and Notification Solutions for Government and Business conference in Washington, D.C. on June 28. The DEAS is designed to enhance the delivery of Presidential alerts and warnings during times of emergency. The DEAS is an upgrade of the existing Cold War-era Emergency Alert System. DEAS broadcasts digital packets along with high-definition programming or “datacasting” over a Public Television station’s digital transmitter.

Lawson told attendees that the need for using different kinds of technology for emergency alerts and warnings was made clear in the “Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy.” The June 13 report by the Departments of Education, Justice and Health & Human Serves on the challenge of establishing and maintaining school alert systems recommended, among other things, to utilize technology to improve notifications, communications and security systems.

The conference’s goal is to inform federal, Department of Defense, state and local, and business leaders on current trends and directions in emergency communications. Other speakers along with Lawson included Scott Rayder, chief of staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration; and Master Sergeant Robert English, superintendent, Command and Control for the 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base.