The Alerting Authority

What happens when people stop trusting emergency alerts? Do “false alarms” actually make communities less safe—or is the problem more complicated than we think? In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with disaster researcher Dr. Joe Trainor (University of Delaware) to break down the science behind false alarms, trust, and human behavior in eme...

In this powerful episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with emergency communications expert Jen Meyers to explore the evolving world of emergency alerts, FEMA IPAWS, public warning systems, and crisis communication. With more than 25 years of experience in public safety, Jen shares her journey from 911 dispatcher to supporting over 2,200 alerting auth...

This episode is a rewind from our very first premiere of The Alerting Authority. In this debut conversation, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate for a candid, no-nonsense look at the real challenges facing emergency alerting in the United States. Fugate explains why most alerting failures aren’t caused by technology—but by people. He emphas...

How do you write a missing persons alert that actually gets the public to respond? In this episode of The Alerting Authority , Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Tim Williams, Program Manager of the New York State Missing Persons Clearinghouse, to explore how New York is rethinking missing persons messaging, public alerting, and effective communication. This conversation goes deep in...

What happens when emergencies involve your pets or animals? In this lively and unfiltered episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Eddie Bertola and Jeannette Sutton bring in their pets—complete with roaming goats, curious cats, and plenty of unexpected moments—to explore the critical role animals play in disasters. Joined by Dr. Sarah DeYoung, an expert in disaster research and companion animals...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with veteran alerting leader Carri Gordon to break down the evolution, effectiveness, and future of missing persons alerts. With nearly 35 years of experience in emergency communications and public safety, Carri shares her journey from early dispatch operations—long before modern alerting systems—to leadi...

In Part II of our deep dive into the groundbreaking RAND national alerting study, we go beyond the headline stat that 91% of Americans received the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and uncover the real story: who didn’t—and why it matters. Host Jeannette Sutton is joined again by RAND researchers Rachel Steratore and Andy Parker to explore critical gaps in emergency alert systems, including:  Why ru...

In this gripping episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Eric Queller, Emergency Manager for the mountain community of Ruidoso, to unpack one of the most intense wildfire response operations in recent memory. What began as a routine fire-weather day on June 17, 2024, quickly escalated into a fast-moving disaster as the South Fork and Salt Fires ign...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Dan Vasquez , former Alert & Warning Coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services , to break down how one region built one of the most coordinated emergency alerting systems in the United States. From wildfires and hurricanes to multilingual communication and accessibility, D...

In this episode of the Alerting Authority Podcast, Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola discuss winter storm alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), and real-world emergency communication examples from across the United States. From the 2022 Buffalo blizzard to recent extreme cold warnings, the hosts analyze how local emergency managers used alert origination software, warning templates, and public...

Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joins The Alerting Authority, sponsored by HQE Systems, to discuss what it was really like to send the nationwide IPAWS emergency alert to every phone in the United States. In this episode, Criswell shares behind-the-scenes insights from the 2023 national emergency alert test, explains how FEMA manages the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAW...

This episode of The Alerting Authority features emergency manager Ashley Morris, whose journey from childhood storm enthusiast in New Mexico to community-focused alerting leader in Central Texas blends meteorology, public engagement, and hands-on system building. Ashley shares how her early dream of working for the National Weather Service evolved into a career in emergency management—where scienc...

How can emergency alerts truly reach everyone , especially people with disabilities and access/ functional needs? In this powerful episode, we welcome Vance Taylor, Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). Vance shares his personal journey, leadership philosophy, and groundbreaking work to transform inclusive emergency...

When severe winter weather hit Arkansas, only one county issued multiple Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). Was it over-alerting or a powerful example of proactive leadership? In this episode of The Alerting Authority , Dr. Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola break down a real-world case study from Calhoun County, Arkansas, where Judge Floyd Nutt sent a series of WEA messages ahead of and during a w...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , emergency management and communications leaders from Atlanta International Airport (ATL) take listeners inside the complex world of alerting, warnings, and crisis communication at the busiest airport on the planet. Featuring insights from ATL Emergency Management , Integrated Operations Center leadership , and Airport Communications and Media Affairs , t...

In December 2024, millions of people across California, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay Area received a sudden Wireless Emergency Alert warning of a possible tsunami —an alert that stopped daily life in its tracks and raised urgent questions about how tsunami warnings are issued, who receives them, and what the public is actually expected to do . In this in-depth episode, Jeannette Sutton and Ed...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Pete Gaynor , former FEMA Administrator and current President of Bright Harbor , for an in-depth and candid conversation about what it truly takes to save lives through effective alerts and warnings. Drawing on his experience at the local, state, and federal levels , Pete shares powerful lessons from...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Steve Torrance , Director of Emergency Management for Marin County, California , to explore how one of the nation’s most complex communities handles emergency alerts and warnings . Marin County faces a unique mix of risks — including earthquakes, wildfires, floods, tsunamis, power outages, and infras...

What happens when an emergency alert is sent without enough information—or with the wrong information altogether? In this episode of The Alerting Authority , Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola break down a real-world emergency alert involving a reported firearm and examine how incomplete messaging, vague locations, unclear protective actions, and inconsistent follow-up alerts can confuse the publi...

Do Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) actually reach the people they are intended to warn? And what happens after the alert hits a phone? In this in-depth episode, emergency management practitioners, researchers, and alerting authorities come together to break down a landmark RAND Corporation study examining the real-world performance of the Wireless Emergency Alert system following the October 4, 20...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola are joined by Nick Crossley , Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for Hamilton County, Ohio , to explore what it truly takes to build and sustain an effective, public-facing alert and warning program. Nick shares how Hamilton County manages emergency communications across 49 jurisdictions , incl...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola take a deep dive into earthquake early warning systems, focusing on a recent ShakeAlert activation in California and Nevada that ultimately turned out to be a false alert. Using this real-world example, they explore how earthquake early warnings work, why they are fundamentally different from prediction systems, a...

During a family trip to Atlanta, Eddie’s phone — along with thousands of others — blared an Amber Alert inside the Coca-Cola Museum. But what should have been a clear, actionable notification turned into a case study in how alerts fail the public. In this episode of The Alerting Authority , Jeannette and Eddie break down the real-world Amber Alert issued in Georgia: what the Wireless Emergency Ale...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola speak with one of the most influential researchers in the field of public warning systems: Dr. Michele Wood . As a core member of the team that developed the original Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) — now known as WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) — Dr. Wood brings unparalleled insight into how alerts are crea...

In this episode of The Alerting Authority , hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola welcome one of the world’s leading experts in disaster communication and public warning behavior: Dr. John Sorensen . With decades of research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory—including studies on Three Mile Island, nuclear emergencies, chemical stockpile response, reverse 911 systems, and major wildfire evacuatio...