Maui EMA Could Have Sent an Alternative Alert Tone
He could have also sent a Wireless Emergency Alert
Hawaiʻi has the largest single integrated outdoor siren warning System for public safety in the world.
The all-hazard siren system can be used for a variety of both natural and human-caused events; including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents, and more.
The Maui County Emergency Management administrator Herman Andaya stated “The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the siren is sounded. Had we sounded the siren that night, we’re afraid that people would have gone mauka (to the mountainside) and if that was the case then they would have gone into the fire,” but he could have used an alternative alert tone along with a text message to all cell phones.
https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/all-hazard-statewide-outdoor-warning-siren-system/