For this paper I will be referring to the Dane County Emergency Management’s Alert and Warning System. Emergency Management for my jurisdiction, Madison, WI, is handled by Dane County. Thus, the alert and warning systems in place for the city are under the jurisdiction of Dane County Emergency Management. In this paper, I will summarize the current warning systems the county has in place and develop some recommendations for improvements. Dane County has a robust and well implemented system of emergency alerts. Dane County Emergency Management recognizes that no one application can provide warning to all citizens and as a result, they take a systematic approach, understanding the advantages and limitations of each component (Dane County Emergency Management, n.d.) The alert systems consist of 6 warning deliver methods including: outdoor sirens, NOAA Weather radio, smart phone alerts, telephone notifications, email and social media, and local broadcast media.…show more content… There are 134 outdoor warning sirens in Dane County system which are located in the most densely populated areas (Dane County Emergency Management, n.d.). The sirens are most commonly used for storm warnings, usually alerting when a tornado is in the area. Radio and television stations is the county also transmit warning information via the Emergency Alert System. The Emergency Alert System is composed of AM, FM, and television broadcast stations as well as cable television, operating in cooperation with local authorities to provide uniform and consistent information in an emergency (Dane County Emergency Management, n.d.) Dane County Emergency Management recommends having a NOAA All-Hazards Radio to receive information in the event that they do not have access to radio or
