Einstein PCS had successfully demonstrated the ability the manage the network's Cell-Broadcast functionality by a remotely located cell-broadcast center a year earlier.

CEASa has briefed the Department of Homeland Security on these developments and their potential to significantly reduce American vulnerability to the increased frequency and magnitude of both manmade and natural disaster events.

 Today, Most Americans first learn of an emergency event, by phone!

 The recent escalation of disaster events, both manmade and natural, has had one element in common, the failure of traditional communications media to allow emergency agencies to effectively establish effective command and control of the situation. Has resulted in increased public vulnerability and the ensuing breakdown of civil authority and ciaos. 

Traditionally the communication of critical emergency alert and advisory information was solely reliant on the mass-communications media.  While onetime suitable for national emergencies, the increasing mobility of our society along with the emergence of a myriad of new entertainment options the ability of mass communications to deliver timely emergency instruction has significantly diminished. 

In 1994 the Cellular Emergency Alert Service association was founded to promote and develop viable technologies and commercial models that would allow the emerging Personal Communications media to be accessible to authorized emergency agencies to advance alert and advisory capability by providing ‘First Alert’ notification of an eminent threat to public safety. 

During the past decade, the CEASa volunteers, comprised of mobile telecommunications engineers, academics, emergency management professionals, and cellular subscribers have succeeded in establishing internationally agreed protocols and standards recommendations that will allow most of the global mobile telecommunications networks to provide there customers a critical link to authorized emergency instruction without economic or operational hardship. 

Project FirstALERT is an opportunity for the stakeholders involved in reducing public vulnerability to disaster events to evaluate and participate in the formation of ‘Trust Protocols’ that will define the commercial, operational, and performance of cellular Emergency Alert Service as a voluntary, commercially sustained public service initiative.

While our Constitution clearly establishes the roll of government is to “Provide for the common defense”, in the end, it will be the citizen consumer that will drive the best solutions for advancing public safety. 

It is the purpose of Project FirstALERT to assist communications service and product providers, government agencies and the citizen consumer with the knowledge to make an informed choice.   

Cellular EAS2 Project FirstALERT Operational Diagram