The Alerting Authority
The Alerting Authority is a podcast dedicated to improving how we warn the public when seconds matter. Hosted by Jeanette Sutton, a leading researcher in public alerts and warnings, and Eddie Bertola, an expert in emergency communications technology, the show brings together practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and thought leaders shaping the future of public alerting.
Each episode dives deep into real-world challenges behind creating, issuing, and delivering life-saving alerts. From Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to IPAWS implementation, crisis messaging, public behavior, and alerting policy, the hosts explore what works, what fails, and why.
Rather than focusing solely on tools or software, The Alerting Authority examines the “human side” of emergency communication—decision-making under pressure, message design, training gaps, coordination across agencies, and the psychology of how people interpret warnings.
The podcast aims to empower emergency managers, communicators, and public safety professionals with actionable insights, practical guidance, and candid conversations with the people who have shaped, studied, and experienced alerting at every level.
Whether you’re responsible for issuing alerts, designing systems, researching risk communication, or simply interested in how warnings save lives, The Alerting Authority is your go-to source for understanding and improving public alerting in a complex and rapidly evolving world.
The Alerting Authority
Do Wireless Emergency Alerts Really Reach the Public? Inside the RAND Study on WEA Coverage, Opt-Outs, and Alert Fatigue
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, 2023 nationwide test.
Featuring insights from Rachel Steratore and Andy Parker of RAND, alongside hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola, this conversation dives into the often-overlooked “last mile” of public alerting—what happens between the cell tower and the person holding the phone. Unlike traditional text messages, WEA uses one-way broadcast technology, meaning there is no return signal to confirm whether an alert was received, noticed, or acted upon. That design choice improves speed and bandwidth efficiency, but it also creates a major data gap for emergency managers.
To address this gap, RAND conducted one of the largest public alerting surveys ever fielded in the United States—over 80,000 respondents nationwide, collected within hours of the live national test. The study reveals that approximately 91% of adults with working cell phones received the alert, demonstrating extraordinary reach. But it also surfaces critical disparities related to geography, device type, age, carrier differences, and opt-out behavior.
Key topics explored in this episode include:
- Why WEA performance cannot be measured through system logs alone
- Differences between broadcast alerts and SMS messaging
- Rural vs. urban receipt rates and why they matter
- Why Texas shows significantly higher WEA opt-out rates
- How phone design (Apple vs. Android) influences alert engagement
- The role of alert fatigue, relevance, trust, and timing
- Why a third of adults report never having heard of WEA before
- The policy and training implications for alerting authorities
The conversation also explores future research questions, including how to empirically measure over-alerting, warning fatigue, and public trust—and how emergency managers might adopt feedback mechanisms similar to citizen science models used in weather and earthquake monitoring.
If you are an alert originator, emergency manager, public safety official, researcher, or policymaker, this episode provides research-backed insights that can directly inform alerting strategies, public education efforts, and system design decisions.
🔗 Learn more about the RAND study and related research at: https://www.rand.org
🔗 This episode is proudly sponsored by HQE Systems: https://www.hqesystems.com