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, Dan shares the real story behind:

• Training 190+ alert originators across 18 cities and a county
• Preventing mistakes like the infamous Hawaii false missile alert
• Writing clear alerts using Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
• Coordinating alerts across multiple jurisdictions
• Reaching multilingual communities with trusted messengers
• Building the Partner Relay network for accessible crisis communication
• Creating policies and agreements that took 20 months to finalize

You’ll also hear how San Diego’s Unified Disaster Council model allows multiple jurisdictions to collaborate on warning systems, funding, and training, something many emergency management agencies are trying to replicate.

Plus, Dan explains the work of the Language Accessibility Alert & Warning Workgroup, a national initiative focused on making emergency alerts accessible to everyone, regardless of language, disability, or technology.

If you work in emergency management, public safety, crisis communication, or government technology, this episode is packed with real-world lessons on how to deliver alerts that are accurate, timely, and accessible.