HELENA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is asking for public input after the test of the national wireless emergency alert (WEA) on Wednesday, October 3.
The test Presidential Alert on was the first time the tool had been used simultaneously nationwide.
FEMA is currently conducting an online survey through Survey Monkeyabout the effectiveness of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
After the alert was sent at 12:18 MST, a significant population have said they did not receive the message.
The survey is completely anonymous, takes around 2 minutes to complete and Dispatch Center Manager Peter Callahan said the data collected will be very valuable for future emergencies.
“It’s important to take that survey because if something is flawed or if state, local or federal government needs to adjust it’s practices now’s a good time for the public to provide feedback,” said Callahan.
Callahan said local emergency services have access to the same system used for the alert and believes it is a crucial tool for emergency personnel given how dependent our society has become on mobile devices.
Callahan would also like to remind the public to sign up for the RAVE alert system for emergency messages in the county.
