Shelter in Place Alert Sent to More Phones Than Intended

(TNS) – Chippewa Falls police say that the shelter in place order sent on Friday, Oct. 20 to local residents’ cell phones was disseminated too broadly.

A higher number of residents than intended received the alert; not all alerts included necessary geographic information to inform residents about which areas to avoid, and not every resident intended received all three emergency safety alerts that afternoon.

According to a statement by Chippewa Falls police chief Matthew Kelm, on Oct. 20, a 911 call came into dispatch at 12:44 p.m. that day from a woman who said a man had broken into her home and was threatening her and himself with a firearm. Police arrived at the scene at 120 W. Spruce St. and soon thereafter “the female escaped through a window onto the roof and was able to jump to the officers below.”

The man barricaded himself inside the house. Eau Claire Regional SWAT unit was called in and officers held the perimeter as police negotiators repeatedly attempted to contact the suspect. The man was found dead inside the home later that afternoon from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the report states.

As the event unfolded, the Chippewa Falls police requested that Chippewa County Emergency Management send out an alert specific to cell phones in the area telling people to shelter in place for safety, Kelm stated in a release on Wednesday.

“Chippewa County Emergency Management sent the alert using the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System at 2:32 p.m. for an area that was roughly bounded by Elm Street, N Bridge Street, W Birch Street, and Superior Street,” the release states.

At that time officers already had an inner and outer perimeter in place and were in the process of contacting the neighbors in the vicinity, the release states.

“The known danger was limited to the area around that residence. Instead of the area requested for the alert, this alert was disseminated to a much larger area than it should have been, in some cases many miles away,” the release states. “A second alert was quickly sent out that included more specific information about where this incident was occurring. A final alert was sent out when the incident was concluded.”

Kelm states, “not everyone received all three alerts. Chippewa County Emergency Management contacted their alert vendor and FEMA regarding why the alert went to such a wide area, and we aim to share the information learned.”

Wireless service providers are required by the Federal Communications Commission to deliver these types of alerts to 100% of cell phones in a geotargeted area. Wireless service providers have adjusted their delivery to try and comply, resulting in many cell phones outside of the geotargeted area also receiving the alert, Kelm states.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency officials, “this is an unintended consequence of industry interpretation of FCC action.”

Chippewa County Emergency Management officials are working to reach out to service providers in the area and find out “why some sent the alerts wider than others and how we can coordinate to lessen the area the alert will be broadcast.”

Chippewa County Emergency Management has indicated until they have an answer and a solution to the issue, any alerts sent will include specific location information.

“We understand that many people were impacted by receiving this alert and we wanted to let you all know why and what is being done about it. This was a situation that was unfortunately outside of our control, but the necessary adjustments are being worked on to help in the future,” Kelm’s statement said.

___

©2023 The Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls, Wisc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.