San Francisco’s SFO International has gone live with the ability to send an emergency alert to every cellphone in the airport. Several others, including New York’s three airports and DFW have been approved, and will go on line soon.
The system, which allows the airport operator to reach every phone, needed approval from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) which built and controls the system. Airports began asking approval after last year’s shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale; authorities believe lives could have been saved by a mass message.
This would be a good time to check your phone to be sure you have emergency alerts turned on (most phones do, by default). For Android, it’s usually under the More Settings in the Messages app, reached through the App Manager. For iPhones, it’s under the Notification Center, at the bottom.
Sounds like an incredibly stupid idea !
In a crowded enclosed space a stampede of a thousand people would create a death toll far greater than the initial problem.
I think I’d rather the crowd have a carefully-worded accurate warning than have them stampede in response to sounds, rumors and indecipherable PA announcements.