FEMA Conducting National Alert & Warning Inventory

Emergency managers, don't be surprised to hear from a FEMA contractor with lots of questions about your local public alert and warning systems. FEMA is doing a nationwide inventory to find out the depth of alert and warning systems across the country. Here are some of the things you may be asked:

- What functions are your system designed to accomplish, and how often is it used?

- Who has authority to activate, and under what conditions?

- What's your system's brand and age? Are you pleased with it?

- What are the costs: maintenance, labor, utility, and training?

- Is the system accredited/certified?

- Is the system backed-up and how?

Plus, FEMA wants to know if you have public alert and warning systems that are not currently operational or cause a distraction for one reason or another. And, if you have desires for systems you don't already have, FEMA wants to know about that, too.

The survey is being conducted by a contractor for the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) program. Results will be used to help IPAWS accomplish its Congressional and Presidential mandates to provide integrated services and capabilities to state and local authorities to enable them to alert and warn communities through multiple communications methods.

At this point, the most "mature" IPAWS initiatives are digitizing the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and working toward a 2012 launch of cellular broadcast alerts through CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System). IPAWS has also been showing off a demo system that uses a wide array of communications methods...lots of lights flashing, and sounds blaring. (Congress is getting a demo of it this week.)

We're interested in getting comments on IPAWS, in learning more about what people know about IPAWS, and how IPAWS can do a good job of making sure the right people know about it. Feel free to contact me at rick.wimberly@galainsolutions.com or Lorin at lorin.bristow@galainsolutions.com or comment through the post.

All the best,


Rick