Tom Ridge's new book talks about the politics of the controversial color-coded national warning system. The first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security says as the 2004 elections approached, he was lobbied heavily...even pressured by certain Bush administration officials...to raise the threat level. They were concerned about a warning Osama Bin Laden had apparently issued about President Bush. The warning said, "As you spoil our security, we will do so to you".
Ridge's book, "The Test of our Times: America Under Siege...and How We Can Be Safe Again", said then-Attorney General John Ashcroft "strongly urged" that the threat level be raised. Then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld agreed in what Ridge said was a "vigorous, some might say dramatic discussion". Ridge disagreed with Ashcroft and Rumsfeld and got support from the FBI Director at the time, Robert Mueller. The DHS Secretary sent word to the White House that DHS "strongly opposed" raising the threat level. The matter was dropped. The threat level was not raised.
As shouldn't be a surprise, Ridge's disclosure about the threat level debate has stirred yet more debate. On ABC's Good Morning America, Ridge said "a lot of people are hyperventilating about that passage". Yet, Ridge says the system worked; there was discussion, disagreement, then a decision.
We suspect the same type of debate occurs regularly across the country about whether to adjust alert status and issue notifications. It should. In the end, someone of authority makes a decision. In this case, it appears the President made the final decision with a strong recommendation from his DHS Secretary.
Whether the decision to raise the alert level was right or wrong, we say good work by DHS and by the President...and good work by the Attorney General and Defense Secretary for presenting an alternative view. That's what officials in positions of responsibility with divergent opinions are supposed to do.
As much as it appears from the surface that the system worked in this case, let's not get too excited about it. The color-coded alert system is still badly flawed. One of the most significant gaps is its inability to be addressable. What could be threat-worthy in one area may not be in another area. As it stands, when the threat level is raised, it's raised across the country...regardless of its nature. That can create anger among local public safety officials, forced to move into action (sometimes expensive action) when they may not be impacted by the threat at hand. We suspect that's one of the reasons the threat level is seldom adjusted.
So, while we are second-guessing the Bush administration's handling of the threat level for the 2004 elections, let's not forget that the system itself is flawed. And, let's keep the pressure on for fixing it. It shouldn't be too difficult, and certainly is important.
All the best,
Rick
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
SMS for Emergencies?
Is SMS text-messaging trustworthy for emergency purposes? Some say yes. Same say no. Perhaps ironically, falling on the "no" side of the debate is a major provider of SMS (Short Messaging Services), none other than AT&T.
AT&T makes its position quite clear. The company issued a statement to Raleigh, North Carolina television station WRAL-TV saying "text messaging via SMS is an inappropriate means for any time-sensitive, mission-critical communications".
The TV station was reporting on the use of SMS for 911 calls after an Iowa PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) announced it was the first in the nation to accept 911 text messages. Black Hawk County Police Chief Thomas Jennings was quoted by Associated Press saying "there's a need to get out front and get this technology available".
Despite reservations by AT&T, SMS and other types of text messaging such as SMTP (basically, email) are certainly becoming more popular for emergency alerts and notifications. Higher education uses it widely.
Meantime, lessons learned for SMS for emergency purposes are developing. The first is that not all SMS is the same. Significant differences can exist between one SMS delivery vehicle and another.
Many of the companies that sell SMS for emergency notifications use "aggregators", other companies that facilitate text-message delivery with carriers. Not all aggregators are alike, and processes used by the various "emergency" SMS providers are not alike.
One company, for example, has been sending out emails saying its processes deliver SMS messages four-times faster than its closest competitor. Rave Wireless says it uses multiple aggregators, failover systems, throttling and other things to ensure delivery.
Granted, using SMS for making 911 calls and delivering emergency notifications are two different things. But, in both arenas, we'd best get onboard. Text messaging is growing in popularity. More people will expect to rely on it during emergencies. It won't likely become the "best" means for emergency communications. In fact, we'll probably find there is no "best" means for emergency communications. We need to use lots of means, all we can get our hands on. (That's the "best" means.)
And, what do you want to bet a lawyer wrote the AT&T statement about SMS being "inappropriate" for mission-critical communications?
All the "best",
Rick
AT&T makes its position quite clear. The company issued a statement to Raleigh, North Carolina television station WRAL-TV saying "text messaging via SMS is an inappropriate means for any time-sensitive, mission-critical communications".
The TV station was reporting on the use of SMS for 911 calls after an Iowa PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) announced it was the first in the nation to accept 911 text messages. Black Hawk County Police Chief Thomas Jennings was quoted by Associated Press saying "there's a need to get out front and get this technology available".
Despite reservations by AT&T, SMS and other types of text messaging such as SMTP (basically, email) are certainly becoming more popular for emergency alerts and notifications. Higher education uses it widely.
Meantime, lessons learned for SMS for emergency purposes are developing. The first is that not all SMS is the same. Significant differences can exist between one SMS delivery vehicle and another.
Many of the companies that sell SMS for emergency notifications use "aggregators", other companies that facilitate text-message delivery with carriers. Not all aggregators are alike, and processes used by the various "emergency" SMS providers are not alike.
One company, for example, has been sending out emails saying its processes deliver SMS messages four-times faster than its closest competitor. Rave Wireless says it uses multiple aggregators, failover systems, throttling and other things to ensure delivery.
Granted, using SMS for making 911 calls and delivering emergency notifications are two different things. But, in both arenas, we'd best get onboard. Text messaging is growing in popularity. More people will expect to rely on it during emergencies. It won't likely become the "best" means for emergency communications. In fact, we'll probably find there is no "best" means for emergency communications. We need to use lots of means, all we can get our hands on. (That's the "best" means.)
And, what do you want to bet a lawyer wrote the AT&T statement about SMS being "inappropriate" for mission-critical communications?
All the "best",
Rick
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Funding Opportunity?
It appeared on the surface that emergency management was all but passed over when the economic stimulus law was passed. There were programs that clearly benefited law enforcement, but little that appeared to benefit emergency management. We were particularly watchful for programs that could fund alerting and notification systems.
We may have found a source. The economic stimulus law included a very discreet, almost hidden, provision that allows governors to spend a portion of their "state stabilization" funds on public safety. The stabilization funds are to be used primarily for education, but the law says governors can spend 18.2% of those stabilization funds on "public safety and other government services".
18.2% may seem like a rather small percentage, but it amounts to over 9.8-billion-dollars. Yes, that's billion with a "b".
Galain Solutions is releasing a report this week that shows that 26 states have decided to use a portion of their stabilization money on public safety. The total amounts to 2.6-billion-dollars! (You can get a copy of the report through Galain's web site.)
Now, does this mean the money will be spent on emergency management, or alerting and notifying? It's hard to tell at this point. Information is still sketchy. But, it would probably be a good idea for emergency management professionals to find out more about plans in their states for the stabilization funds. State legislators and the governors' offices would be a place to start.
We believe this source of funding is still relatively unknown. It may not be too late to influence the spending decisions.
All the best,
Rick
We may have found a source. The economic stimulus law included a very discreet, almost hidden, provision that allows governors to spend a portion of their "state stabilization" funds on public safety. The stabilization funds are to be used primarily for education, but the law says governors can spend 18.2% of those stabilization funds on "public safety and other government services".
18.2% may seem like a rather small percentage, but it amounts to over 9.8-billion-dollars. Yes, that's billion with a "b".
Galain Solutions is releasing a report this week that shows that 26 states have decided to use a portion of their stabilization money on public safety. The total amounts to 2.6-billion-dollars! (You can get a copy of the report through Galain's web site.)
Now, does this mean the money will be spent on emergency management, or alerting and notifying? It's hard to tell at this point. Information is still sketchy. But, it would probably be a good idea for emergency management professionals to find out more about plans in their states for the stabilization funds. State legislators and the governors' offices would be a place to start.
We believe this source of funding is still relatively unknown. It may not be too late to influence the spending decisions.
All the best,
Rick
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Aggressive Education Notification System Planned
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) plan for a nationwide notification system is quite aggressive (and impressive). ED intends to notify all K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and other educational organizations in the nation. That's all of them, not just public schools.
This is a rather tall order, particularly considering the fact that the chosen vendor must develop the database of contacts for all of the schools. At first, ED wants main telephone numbers, then telephone numbers of key officials or designates. Then, the contact information must be digitally mapped, as well as kept in lists, so that notifications can be sent to regions or the nation.
ED wants to send notifications through a number of modes of communication. They include: telephone, fax, cell, TTY, e-mail, pages, fire alarms, campus siren and intercom systems, radio frequency (RF), Short Message Service (SMS), and the web. Telephone, fax, cell, e-mail, SMS, and the web should be relatively easy. The difficulty will notifying a hodge podge of fire alarms, campus siren and intercom systems, and RF systems.
The extraordinary aspect is not what the Department of Education is trying to do. Emergency management and other public safety officials across the country do this all time. The impressive part is the magnitude of the project.
The $570,000 contract was awarded to Emergency Management Telecommunications, Inc. of Melbourne, Florida. We'll watch this closely, as important lessons learned will develop.
This is a rather tall order, particularly considering the fact that the chosen vendor must develop the database of contacts for all of the schools. At first, ED wants main telephone numbers, then telephone numbers of key officials or designates. Then, the contact information must be digitally mapped, as well as kept in lists, so that notifications can be sent to regions or the nation.
ED wants to send notifications through a number of modes of communication. They include: telephone, fax, cell, TTY, e-mail, pages, fire alarms, campus siren and intercom systems, radio frequency (RF), Short Message Service (SMS), and the web. Telephone, fax, cell, e-mail, SMS, and the web should be relatively easy. The difficulty will notifying a hodge podge of fire alarms, campus siren and intercom systems, and RF systems.
The extraordinary aspect is not what the Department of Education is trying to do. Emergency management and other public safety officials across the country do this all time. The impressive part is the magnitude of the project.
The $570,000 contract was awarded to Emergency Management Telecommunications, Inc. of Melbourne, Florida. We'll watch this closely, as important lessons learned will develop.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Statewide Notification System to be Launched
Connecticut is preparing to roll out a statewide "Emergency Notification System". It's to be made available for use by state agencies and all PSAPs, says a press release by Connecticut's governor.
PSAP access is no small feat in Connecticut. There are 107 of them! (See list published by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety.)
In her press release, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell claimed this is the first statewide notification system. (We think New York, Montana, and perhaps others would take exception to that.) Regardless, it's an impressive step forward particularly considering the number of organizations to have access to the system. The Governor is obviously proud (as she should be). In making her announcement, she used words like "good news" and "special".
The Connecticut system will be used for notifications to the general public and first responders. Residents will be able to sign-up to provide preferences such as contact information, delivery mode, and the type of notifications they're to receive. Or, they'll be able to opt-out of the system, according to the Governor's statement.
The launch is scheduled for September 1st. The vendor is Everbridge, formerly 3N Global.
PSAP access is no small feat in Connecticut. There are 107 of them! (See list published by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety.)
In her press release, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell claimed this is the first statewide notification system. (We think New York, Montana, and perhaps others would take exception to that.) Regardless, it's an impressive step forward particularly considering the number of organizations to have access to the system. The Governor is obviously proud (as she should be). In making her announcement, she used words like "good news" and "special".
The Connecticut system will be used for notifications to the general public and first responders. Residents will be able to sign-up to provide preferences such as contact information, delivery mode, and the type of notifications they're to receive. Or, they'll be able to opt-out of the system, according to the Governor's statement.
The launch is scheduled for September 1st. The vendor is Everbridge, formerly 3N Global.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Data & Policies Key to Successful Notification
The use of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania's emergency notification system recently raises common issues and lessons for public safety officials. When two incarcerated teenagers escaped from detention on July 25th, officials issued an emergency notification callout to residents within close proximity of the facility. The calls were made at approximately 12:15 a.m.
While officials received a handful of complaints from sleeping residents (believing the situation was not serious enough to warrant a call), greater concerns were raised surrounding the inability for calls to reach a significant portion of the population.
Like most communities, local telephone company data is used for callouts. However, individuals having only cell phones or VoIP phones (with service not provided by the carrier) do not appear within this database and will not receive automated calls.
The good news? The escapees were apprehended a few hours later when a resident who had received the notification called police identifying the teens and reporting their whereabouts.
IMPLICATIONS
Several helpful observations can be made from this situation:
The cell and VoIP phone issue is a common problem across the country, though the notification software is not the problem. Having incomplete data is the obstacle. Communities must have methods in place for citizens to sign up for notifications when they do not use a traditional land line.
This stuff works.
Despite the shortfalls, the threat in this situation was neutralized due to rapid police response and a citizen's receipt of an emergency notification call.
The situation in Ebensburg illustrates well that with the right policies, technology and data in place, emergency notification is a powerful tool for protecting and serving the public.
-LBB
While officials received a handful of complaints from sleeping residents (believing the situation was not serious enough to warrant a call), greater concerns were raised surrounding the inability for calls to reach a significant portion of the population.
Like most communities, local telephone company data is used for callouts. However, individuals having only cell phones or VoIP phones (with service not provided by the carrier) do not appear within this database and will not receive automated calls.
The good news? The escapees were apprehended a few hours later when a resident who had received the notification called police identifying the teens and reporting their whereabouts.
IMPLICATIONS
Several helpful observations can be made from this situation:
The need for clear policy.
Police officials had in place a clear policy for determining when the system should be used. While this did not deter some residents from complaining, officials' response to questions surrounding the notification were strong and its position was highly defensible.
The cell and VoIP phone issue is a common problem across the country, though the notification software is not the problem. Having incomplete data is the obstacle. Communities must have methods in place for citizens to sign up for notifications when they do not use a traditional land line.
This stuff works.
Despite the shortfalls, the threat in this situation was neutralized due to rapid police response and a citizen's receipt of an emergency notification call.
The situation in Ebensburg illustrates well that with the right policies, technology and data in place, emergency notification is a powerful tool for protecting and serving the public.
-LBB
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Nationwide Cell Alerting Moves Foward
There's a flurry of activity in the effort to expand the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to include cellular phone broadcast alerts. A recent forum, an upcoming deadline for Request for Information (RFI) responses, and a pronouncement by one of the program officials that specifications could be ready in October are all go-forward signs.
Perhaps most telling about what the feds are thinking now about the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) program is the RFI (which can be viewed here). In the Request for Information due August 14th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking for:
Perhaps most telling about what the feds are thinking now about the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) program is the RFI (which can be viewed here). In the Request for Information due August 14th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking for:
- information on capability gaps in initial deployment plans
- potential future enhancements because of technology advancements
- possible resources for research and development and test facilities
Beyond the RFI, a forum was recently held where interested parties could get updates from DHS Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) officials in charge of the initial phase of the program. Program Director Denis Gusty said he hopes specifications will be ready in October for the "switch" that will be necessary to connect all of the pieces.
This is no easy task, particularly as S&T gets deeper and deeper into details. Carriers can be quite persnickety about connecting into someone else's equipment (particularly to offer a free service). And, hopefully, FEMA which has responsibility for the aggregation switch, will be quite persnickety about who hooks into the system and how they do it.
Once the switch design is public, carriers will have 28 months to put equipment in place to receive CMAS messages.
Technology aside, there are still significant outstanding questions. For example, exactly what can CMAS alerts be used for? Presumably, basically the same criteria would apply as for EAS alerts. Since the alerts could be considered less intrusive than interrupting radio and television broadcasts, could they be used for more purposes than EAS? (At least for now, the CMAS alerts would use text, not voice.) And, if so, who would have the authority to activate?
Another question will center around participation. The carriers are generally saying they'll participate. (Avoiding the wrath of the Federal Communciations Commission makes carrier participation compelling.) Then, will the public participate? The current plan would make the alerting capability available on new cell phones once CMAS is launched. Customers would have to opt-out to avoid receiving CMAS notifications.
And, here's one more significant question: how do emergency management professionals and industry make their opinions known?
Despite the outstanding questions, CMAS momentum can be a significant development in the world of alerting. Stay tuned!
All the best,
Rick
Friday, August 7, 2009
Twitter Hacker Attack Impacts Public Safety Notification
The hacker attack on Twitter yesterday (August 5, 2009) should cause concerns for public safety and public sector officials attempting to use the service for emergency notification purposes. Twitter was compromised causing "denial of service" errors that brought the site to a complete halt. A great govtech.com article yesterday by Matt Williams provides good insight into the issue.
We can confirm a growing trend of public safety people interested in pushing notifications through services such as Twitter. This is particularly true of campus-oriented alerts.
The incident yesterday points to a clear problem with relying on these types of commercial services for critical notifications. These services were never designed to carry high-priority information, and no up-time guarantees are made.
The same is true for SMS (text-messaging) notifications. SMS-based notification services are not all created equal as we've learned from several high-profile school emergency situations where the SMS alerting worked inadequately (more on this to come).
While there is certainly nothing wrong with utilizing social networks as a component of overall notification strategy, relying solely on these is likely to be a big mistake as the outage yesterday illustrates.
-LBB
We can confirm a growing trend of public safety people interested in pushing notifications through services such as Twitter. This is particularly true of campus-oriented alerts.
The incident yesterday points to a clear problem with relying on these types of commercial services for critical notifications. These services were never designed to carry high-priority information, and no up-time guarantees are made.
The same is true for SMS (text-messaging) notifications. SMS-based notification services are not all created equal as we've learned from several high-profile school emergency situations where the SMS alerting worked inadequately (more on this to come).
While there is certainly nothing wrong with utilizing social networks as a component of overall notification strategy, relying solely on these is likely to be a big mistake as the outage yesterday illustrates.
-LBB
For other news on Twitter and notification, check out this blog post.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Notification Company Sues Twitter
Claiming its patents have been infringed, TechRadium has sued Twitter™. In a law suit filed this week in Texas, TechRadium claims ownership to patents "that allow a group administrator or 'message Author' to originate a single message that will be delivered simultaneously via multiple communication gateways to members of a group of 'message Subscribers'." TechRadium says Twitter has violated three of its patents.
TechRadium offers an automated notification solution under the name IRIS™ (Immediate Response Information System).
The legal action does not state a dollar amount for TechRadium's claim, saying the company needs to dig in to determine an amount. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Houston. A copy of the suit can be downloaded here.
The blogs and listservs are already heating up. This will be a much-watched activity.
TechRadium offers an automated notification solution under the name IRIS™ (Immediate Response Information System).
The legal action does not state a dollar amount for TechRadium's claim, saying the company needs to dig in to determine an amount. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Houston. A copy of the suit can be downloaded here.
The blogs and listservs are already heating up. This will be a much-watched activity.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Data & Policies Key to Successful Notification
The use of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania's emergency notification system two weeks ago raises common issues and lessons for public safety officials. When two incarcerated teenagers escaped from detention on July 25th, officials issued an emergency notification callout to residents within close proximity of the facility. The calls were made at approximately 12:15 a.m.
While officials received a handful of complaints from sleeping residents (believing the situation was not serious enough to warrant a call), greater concerns were raised surrounding the inability for calls to reach a significant portion of the population.
Like most communities, local telephone company data is used for callouts. However, individuals having only cell phones or VoIP phones (with service not provided by the carrier) do not appear within this database and will not receive automated calls.
The good news? The escapees were apprehended a few hours later when a resident who had received the notification called police identifying the teens and reporting their whereabouts.
IMPLICATIONS
Several helpful observations can be made from this situation:
The need for clear policy.
Police officials had in place a clear policy for determining when the system should be used. While this did not deter some residents from complaining, officials' response to questions surrounding the notification were strong and its position was highly defensible.
Data is king.
The cell and VoIP phone issue is a common problem across the country, though the notification software is not the problem. Having incomplete data is the obstacle. Communities must have methods in place for citizens to sign up for notifications when they do not use a traditional land line.
This stuff works.
Despite the shortfalls, the threat in this situation was neutralized due to rapid police response and a citizen's receipt of an emergency notification call.
The situation in Ebensburg illustrates well that with the right policies, technology and data in place, emergency notification is a powerful tool for protecting and serving the public.
-LBB
While officials received a handful of complaints from sleeping residents (believing the situation was not serious enough to warrant a call), greater concerns were raised surrounding the inability for calls to reach a significant portion of the population.
Like most communities, local telephone company data is used for callouts. However, individuals having only cell phones or VoIP phones (with service not provided by the carrier) do not appear within this database and will not receive automated calls.
The good news? The escapees were apprehended a few hours later when a resident who had received the notification called police identifying the teens and reporting their whereabouts.
IMPLICATIONS
Several helpful observations can be made from this situation:
The need for clear policy.
Police officials had in place a clear policy for determining when the system should be used. While this did not deter some residents from complaining, officials' response to questions surrounding the notification were strong and its position was highly defensible.
Data is king.
The cell and VoIP phone issue is a common problem across the country, though the notification software is not the problem. Having incomplete data is the obstacle. Communities must have methods in place for citizens to sign up for notifications when they do not use a traditional land line.
This stuff works.
Despite the shortfalls, the threat in this situation was neutralized due to rapid police response and a citizen's receipt of an emergency notification call.
The situation in Ebensburg illustrates well that with the right policies, technology and data in place, emergency notification is a powerful tool for protecting and serving the public.
-LBB
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