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Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) ⋅ Spring 2021 |
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The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is FEMA's national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public through mobile phones using Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System (EAS), and on NOAA Weather Radio.
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In This Issue
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Antwane Johnson
Division Director and Program Manager
IPAWS Program Management Office (PMO)
Welcome to the IPAWS community newsletter. It will report top alert and warning news, relevant legislation, technical advancements and success stories, and spotlight new alerting authorities.
Over the past year, IPAWS has been put to the test during some of the toughest times this country has seen in recent history. However, despite the challenges we are facing, we remain confident in the systems we have in place and rest assured in our strong and resilient nation.
Thank you for connecting with FEMA IPAWS. If your organization is not yet participating with IPAWS, please contact us. We can support you with the training and materials you need to implement this 21st Century solution for public safety.
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A Citizen Cared, and a Child Was Found Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, MN
Barbara Gusse could have ignored the Amber Alert that flashed across her phone on Saturday afternoon. A birdwatcher, she was outside in bitter cold, feeding the birds that visit her Brooklyn Center yard.
Two hours earlier, in north Minneapolis, a mom had just strapped her 1-year-old son into her white Jeep Grand Cherokee when she dashed back in the house for a moment. In that moment, someone took the car and her son with it.
‘Thank God for Letting Me See.’ Sanitation Worker Recalls Moment He Spotted Vehicle of New Iberia Kidnapping Suspect Lafayette, LA
The Amber Alert was issued Sunday for 10-year-old Jalisa lasalle of New Iberia. Police say the child was inside a vehicle that was located around 7 a.m. Monday by two sanitation workers. The workers say they were driving their normal route on a rural road in St. Martin Parish when they spotted the vehicle.
Making Emergency Alerts Less of a Crisis Government Computer News
FEMA and Department of Homeland Security are working to develop a tool to help government entities authorized to use the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) determine how best to do so. ...
Workers authorized to send alerts via IPAWS will be able to go online and answer questions about their state and local policies for sending alerts to the public, their local IT and cellular infrastructures, how radio and television share the messages, and population size and special needs, including languages spoken.
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IPAWS Webinars: Lead With Knowledge |
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Take advantage of recent IPAWS online programs. Download these webinars from the links below. Find all past IPAWS webinars at this link.
2020 IPAWS Recap
Have you wondered how public safety officials use IPAWS successfully? From COVID-19, natural disasters, and AMBER Alerts, to unique cases and testing, this webinar highlights real-life successes from IPAWS over the past year.
Providing the Safest Direction to the Public During Disasters - Protective Action Guidance with FEMA's ICPD
Join FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) to learn how FEMA’s Protective Actions Research site can help Alerting Authorities.
Tribal Nations and IPAWS. How Do They Connect?
FEMA's IPAWS and Navajo Nation Emergency Management will discuss how Tribal Nations can connect to IPAWS to send alerts.
Creating Inclusive Alerts
IPAWS hosted a webinar, with guest panelists - a former CIA officer and current emergency manager and a vulnerable populations expert, to discuss the considerations needed to reach populations with access and functional needs, people with disabilities, Non-English speakers, and those whose first language isn't English.
Cross/Multi-Jurisdictional Alerting Coordination
This webinar examined how IPAWS supports shared alerting responsibilities.
New IPAWS Release & FirstNet Applications
IPAWS Chief Engineer Mark Lucero presents the new IPAWS-OPEN 3.11 release and what it means for you. The webinar is for all stakeholders and is of special interest to software developers.
Also in this webinar: The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) operates a high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. FirstNet offers a catalog of vetted applications for use by responders during daily incidents, but also resilient and scalable for use during disasters. Applications using IPAWS are eligible for listing and certification in this catalog.
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1,029 Child Recoveries, 87 Attributed to WEA!
IPAWS has partnered with the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to ensure that life-saving AMBER Alerts can be disseminated to as many people as possible.
The alerts are sent as Child Abduction Emergency (CAE) messages to aid in the recovery of missing children. When specific information is available, such as the abductor's and victim's descriptions and vehicles involved, local law enforcement can request an AMBER Alert.
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Beginning in 2013, AMBER Alerts got a significant boost. Law enforcement began enlisting the public’s help through their cell phones via a Wireless Emergency Alert, dramatically increasing the chance that the right person, at the right time would see the alert and help save a child.
The alerts are also broadcast through participating radio and TV stations and secondary distributors such as digital signs, hotels, internet and social media.
The AMBER Alert system is used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 27 other countries. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs has tasked NCMEC with managing the AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution Program.
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Welcoming New IPAWS Alerting Authorities |
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Federal agencies and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments are eligible to send alerts using IPAWS. Other public or private sector organizations may also be eligible, depending on their public safety mission. The sign-up process is outlined on the IPAWS website at this link.
The jurisdictions below recently completed IPAWS Memoranda of Agreement.
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AK City of Saint Paul
CA City of Irwindale
CA City of Monterey Park
CA East Valley Water District
CA San Luis Obispo
CA Santa Maria
CO Clear Creek County
GA Gilmer County
IL Sangamon County
IN Harrison County
KS Barber County
KS Harvey County
KS Rice County
KS Wilson County
LA Beauregard Parish
LA Concordia Parish
MN Watonwan County
MN Yellow Medicine County |
MS Rankin County
NC Buncombe County
NC Columbus County
NC Duplin County
ND Logan County
ND Towner County
NE Region 11 EM
NV Central Region (Nye County)
OH Henry County
PA Clinton County
PA Lehigh County
TX Brown County
TX City of Angleton
TX City of Odessa
TX Parker County
TX Rockwall County
WA Jefferson County
WA Whitman County |
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August 15-18, 2021 - Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO): IPAWS will attend APCO International’s Annual Conference and Expo, the premier event for public-safety communications officials, from frontline telecommunicators, comm center managers, to public safety communications equipment and services vendors.
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October 9-13, 2021 - National Association of Broadcasters (NAB): Please join us at our booth! NAB Show is where content providers and creators converge. It is the only industry event covering the full array of opportunities at the crossroads of entertainment, media and technology.
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Disclaimer: This communication is provided by FEMA’s IPAWS Program Management Office (PMO) to highlight program announcements and does not endorse any non-government organizations, entities or services.
Contact the PMO at fema-ipaws-stakeholder-engagement@fema.dhs.gov
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