The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)
National Preparedness Month Symposium
September 30, 2014
Antwane V. [email protected]
Originally called the “Key
Station System,” the
CONtrol of
ELectromagnetic
RADiation (CONELRAD)
was established in August
1951.
Participating stations tuned
to 640 & 1240 kHz AM and
initiated a special
sequence and procedure
designed to warn citizens.
IPAWS modernizes and
integrates the nation’s alert
and warning infrastructure.
Integrates new and existing
public alert and warning
systems and technologies
thru adoption of new alert
information exchange
format - the Common
Alerting Protocol or CAP
Provides authorities a
broader range of message
options and multiple
communications pathways
Source: The Broadcast Archive Maintained
by: Barry Mishkind The Eclectic Engineer
EBS was initiated to
address the nation
through audible alerts. It
did not allow for targeted
messaging.
System upgraded in 1976
to provide for better and
more accurate handling of
alert receptions.
Originally designed to
provide the President with
an expeditious method of
communicating with the
American Public, it was
expanded for use during
peacetime at state and
local levels.
EAS jointly coordinated by
the FCC, FEMA and NWS.
Designed for President to
speak to American people
within 10 minutes.
EAS messages composed
of 4 parts:
• Digitally encoded header
• Attention Signal
• Audio Announcement
• Digitally encoded end-of-
message marker
Provided for better
integration with NOAA
weather and local alert
distribution to
broadcasters
CONELRAD EBS EAS IPAWS1951 - 1963 1963 - 1997 1997 - 2006 2006
The Evolution of Emergency Alerting
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Presidential Direction
Executive Order 13407 - Public Alert and Warning System
“It is the policy of the United States to have an effective, reliable, integrated, flexible, and
comprehensive system to alert and warn the American people in situations of war, terrorist
attack, natural disaster, or other hazards to public safety and well-being (public alert and
warning system), taking appropriate account of the functions, capabilities, and needs of the
private sector and of all levels of government in our Federal system, and to ensure that
under all conditions the President can communicate with the American people.”
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Governance/AuthoritiesExecutive Order (EO) 13407 “Public Alert and Warning System” (June 26, 2006). To implement the
policy set forth in section 1 of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall:
• Function vi - Ensure the conduct of training, tests, and exercises for the public alert and warning
system.
• Function vii -Ensure the conduct of public education efforts so that State, territorial, tribal, and local
governments, the private sector, and the American people understand the functions of the public alert
and warning system and how to access, use, and respond to information from the public alert and
warning system; and
• Function viii- consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the private sector, including communications
media organizations, and Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local governmental authorities, including
emergency response providers, as appropriate
Presidential Memorandum, “Emergency Alert System Statement of Requirements”, (September 15,
1995): During times of extreme national emergency, reliable communications are required to enable the
President to assure and give direction to the American people.
FCC Code of Federal Regulations Title 47 Part 11 (EAS) The Emergency Alert System (EAS) provides the
President with the capability to provide immediate communications and information to the general public at
the National, State and Local Area levels during periods of national emergency.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Code of Federal Regulations Title 47 Part 10 (WEA) -
establishes the requirements for participation in the voluntary Wireless Emergency Alerts system
What is IPAWS?
• IPAWS is a National System for Local Alerting
– supports sending of alerts from local, state, tribal, territorial officials to
local areas during emergencies and from the President in the event of a
catastrophic national emergency
– provides authenticated emergency alert and information messaging from
emergency officials to the public through:
• radio and television via the Emergency Alert System
• cellular phones via Wireless Emergency Alerts
• NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio via IPAWS-NOAA gateway
• Internet applications and websites via the IPAWS Public Feed
– FEMA, tasked by DHS, is responsible for:
• Development, operation, integration and maintenance of the IPAWS
which includes the EAS, WEA, NOAA HazCollect, and public alerts
feed components plus future connections for public alerting TBD
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IPAWS is Not:
– Not a subscription based mass notification system
– Not an emergency telephone network ETN or reverse dial system
– Not an SMS or email sign-up system
– Not a paging or limited distribution notification system
• e.g. can’t send a recall notice to a select group of employees
IPAWS is for:
– Emergency Alert & Warning information dissemination to the Public
• i.e. - urgent information impacting public safety
• e.g. - not meant for messaging about changes to the trash collection schedule
– Alerting all citizens in an given area
IPAWS Can:
–Activate EAS Radio and TV stations
–Alert all (WEA capable) cell phones in a defined geographic area, even when cell networks are congested
–Send a warning message for broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio
IPAWS does not
know your phone
number or your
location!
Alerting Authorities
326 County level w/ Public Alerting
(225 County level in process for Public
Alerting)
46 State level w/ Public Alerting
(2 State level in process for Public
Alerting)
2 Territory w/ Public Alerting
NOAA National Weather Service (NWS)
National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children (AMBER Alerts)
Alert Dissemination Channels
(public alerting systems)
IPAWS – User and Connection Status
Emergency Alert
System
Wireless
Emergency Alerts
Internet Services
NOAA
Local
State
Territorial
Federal
IPAWS
OPEN
26,000 EAS participants
monitoring the IPAWS
EAS Feed
61 Cellular Carriers connected
Millions of handsets deployed
All Hazards NOAA
Weather Radio
network
55 vendors with access to
monitor IPAWS Public Feed
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As of September 26, 2014
MASASAs of June 9, 2014
December 7, 2011, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper released the Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan
• Established a common goal to enhancing the coordination of responses during binational disasters.
• Canada and the United –States will: “promote the harmonization of the Canadian Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System
with the U.S. Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to enable sharing of alert, warning and incident information to improve
response coordination during binational disasters.”
Current Usage and Statistics (as of September 3, 2014)
• Alert messages processed by IPAWS1,184,556
• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) messages sent13,780
• Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages sent2,519
• Non-Weather Emergency Messages (NWEM) sent via NOAA Weather Radio2
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When is IPAWS used?
Anything public safety
officials determine is a
threat to public safety
Tornados
Evacuations
Earthquakes
Child Abductions/AMBER
Water Contamination
Gridlock
Water and Relief Supply
Distribution
Large Power Outages
Toxic Plumes
Volcano
Shelter-In-Place
Presidential Alerts
Disaster Resources
Wildfires
Dam Brakes
Chemical Spills
Law Enforcement
Situations
Nuclear Accidents
Road Outages/Closures
Flash Flooding
Snowstorms
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For more information
Email the IPAWS inbox: [email protected]
IPAWS Website: http://www.fema.gov/ipaws
EMI Independent Study Courses:
– IS-247a: IPAWS Introduction
https://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is247a.asp
– IS-248: IPAWS for the American Public
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-248
– IS-251: IPAWS for Alerting Authorities http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-251
IPAWS Stakeholder Information and Webinar Mailing Lists:
http://www.fema.gov/integrated-public-alert-and-warning-system-working-groups
Wade WitmerDeputy Director
IPAWS Division
National Continuity Programs,
Prevention & National
Preparedness
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
500 C Street SW, Room 506
Washington, DC 20472
202.646.2523 Office
Antwane JohnsonDivision Director
IPAWS
National Continuity Programs,
Prevention & National
Preparedness
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
500 C Street SW, Room 506
Washington, DC 20472
202.646.4383 Office
Contact Information
Damon PennAssistant Administrator
National Continuity Programs,
Prevention & National
Preparedness
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
500 C Street SW, Room 506
Washington, DC 20472
202.646.4145 Office
http://www.fema.gov/IPAWS
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QUESTIONS?