The Integrated Public Alert and (IPAWS)

Wade Witmer Deputy Director, IPAWS Division

www.fema.gov/IPAWS [email protected] 1 What is IPAWS?

IPAWS is a National System for Local Alerting – Can be used by local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials, to send geo-targeted emergency alert and information messaging to the public through IPAWS connections to: • and television as Emergency Alert System broadcasts • cellular phones as Emergency Alerts • NOAA All Hazards (currently disabled, returning soon) • applications and websites

– FEMA, tasked by DHS, is responsible for: • Development, operation, integration and maintenance of the IPAWS which includes the EAS, WEA, NOAA HazCollect, and IPAWS Alerts Feed components plus future connections for alerting TBD • And making it available for state/local/territorial/tribal to use

2 Who is using IPAWS?

̶ Public safety officials with coordinated authority to alert the public of emergency situations in their jurisdiction. . Local, State, Territorial, Tribal, Federal officials . Public safety officials: , law enforcement, homeland security, county, city, regional - Other organizations at approval of local and/or state government of jurisdiction

Is there a requirement to use IPAWS? – No. IPAWS Use is voluntary

3 IPAWS Users & Stakeholders

as of March 2016: (average of five new applications received per week)

President

700+ Local authorities

26,000 radio, TV Emergency Alert cable providers 64 State level agencies System monitor the IPAWS in 50 States EAS Feed

61 Cellular Carriers 3 Territorial agencies Wireless IPAWS = WEA to millions (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Emergency Alerts of handsets the District of Columbia) OPEN

NOAA NOAA Weather 2 Federal Authorities ( and ! National Center for Missing and 55 Internet apps Exploited Children – AMBER Internet vendors have access Alerts) Canadian to All Hazards Alert & MASAS Info Feed As of June 9, 2014 Connection with Canadian equivalent of IPAWS for cross NOAA Weather Radio connection boarder sharing of warning offline pending further information NOAA development and testing Emergency Alert System (EAS) – all FCC licensee’s monitor the IPAWS EAS feed – IPAWS supports additional content delivery to EAS devices: • text for screen crawl and display • audio attachments (mp3) • URL/links to additional content and information

Requires Local Coordination & Partnership  Broadcasters are not required to air all alerts

5 Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

 90 character emergency alert text broadcast to cellular phones in a small area – targeting as small as one cell tower coverage  WEA is free – no usage or text  “” technology message charges – Not affected by cell site network congestion  Significantly different from SMS/email based – Different protocol/channel than used for voice, alerting systems SMS, web/app data communications Not subscription based – – One way Broadcast protocol • true location based alerting - sends  Cellular carrier participation voluntary alerts to all phones in a cell coverage – Most Commercial Mobile Service Providers area - not to a database of phone (CMSP) have opted into WEA numbers  U.S phones are delivered opted-in • No sign-up or registration • No app – Citizens may opt-out of receiving alerts • No tracking or delivery info or status  IPAWS is the only interface to networks feed back for Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

6 6 WEA Changes per FCC Report and Order

• Increase message length from 90 to 360 characters – 360 for 4G/LTE networks, 90 for legacy networks • Add new alert category, “Public Safety ” – Lower than Imminent Threat category • Support URLs and phone numbers – Just text at first, then “clickable” in the future • Spanish language WEA – Alert Originator will translate, will follow phone language setting • WEA test code – Will be disabled on customer phones by default

7 https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-16-127A1.pdf NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio via IPAWS

Non-Weather Emergency Messages (NWEM) from local alerting authorities can be sent to NOAA for broadcast to NOAA Weather via IPAWS routing. − Permission to access NOAA Weather Radio transmitters via IPAWS must be coordinated and approved through the NWS in coordination with your local Weather Forecast Office (additional info at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/hazcollect/)

NWEM via IPAWS is temporarily NOT enabled!

NOAA testing and system modifications in process to re-enable capability soonest.

Local officials may still send alerts over NWR by calling/coordinating with the local Weather Forecast Office.

8 IPAWS All-Hazards Alert Feed for Internet apps/websites

Approved 3rd party internet web services and applications can monitor and retrieve alerts for the public posted in CAP format  Not all alert origination tools post to the IPAWS All-Hazards Alerts Feed Web apps/services may distribute or publish alert info to apps, websites, email lists, text messaging groups, , etc.  Sampling of companies with monitor access to the All-Hazards Alert Feed: • Alcatel-Lucent NSIT Lab • Google • Samsung Information Systems America • AtHoc, Inc. • Facebook Inc. • ATI Systems, Inc. • Flaggpole, Inc. dba Twitzip • Singlewire Software LLC • Avalution Consulting, LLC • Geo-Comm • Skitter Inc. • Broadcast Television Group, LLC • Global Security Systems, LLC • Spectacular Media • Burli Software, Inc. • Grandpaham.com • Spectrum Solutions and Services • Callaway GraphicSoftware, LLC • Interop Solutions, LLC • Swan Island Networks, Inc. • Carnegie Mellun University Silicon Valley • KDEE Technology, LLC • TechRadium, Inc. • City of Lakewood • MIR3, LLC • The Weather Channel Companies • Communications & Power Engineering • MyStateUSA, Inc. • Thunder Eagle, Inc. (dba CommPower), Inc. • National Public Radio (NPR) • TriStateAlerts, LLC • Deaf Link Inc. • Omnilert, LLC • Weather Message Software LLC • Department of Homeland Security • PIER Systems LLC • WHDT World Television Service Geospatial Management Office (GMO) • Public Alerter, LLC • Wisemen Multimedia LLC • Dotomi • Rapid Notify, Inc. • WRAL-TV, Capitol Broadcasting • EZ Automation • Rave Wireless Company, Inc. • SafeT, Inc.

9 When is IPAWS Used? When public safety officials need to warn of a threat to public safety:  Evacuation  Emergency Relief Location  Pipe Line Break  Shelter-In-Place  Emergency Shelter Locations  Extreme Weather IPAWS Usage  Law Enforcement Situations  Dam Release Alert  Flooding (As of January  911 Outage  Child Abductions/AMBER  Volcano 2016)  Road Closure Alerts  Earthquakes  Chemical Spill/Release  Critical Power Outage  Wildfires 39,000 • messages processed  Water Contamination  Nuclear Accident avg per month  Distribution Location  Landslide Since 2012

• WEA for 22,196 sent by NOAA

• WEA AMBER Alerts sent by National Center for Missing 593 and Exploited Children or State AMBER Coordinators

• WEA sent by local or 299 state authorities

5,115 • EAS delivered (includes tests)

• Posted to All-Hazards 1,304,284 Information Feed 10 NOAA types send via IPAWS WEA :

Local WFO’s do not have control of the message text sent for weather WEAs. Warning message is automatically generated to IPAWS by central NOAA application when a WFO generates any of the 7 warning types above.

11 IPAWS use example: Los Angeles Police Depart Active Shooter Warning

IPAWS used to broadcast a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message to cellular phones in a 1-mile radius around a suspect shooting from a balcony in Van Nuys.

targeted alert area “Neighbors said they heard shots fired, and LAPD appeared to have sent an emergency alert to cellphones in the area at about 4 p.m., warning of “suspect shooting from balcony.” … The unidentified man surrendered to police around 5:45 p.m. and was taken away in handcuffs.” - KTLA News 5 Report

http://ktla.com/2015/04/24/swat-team-responding-to-standoff-in-van-nuys-after-man-reporting-waiving-gun/

12 12 IPAWS WEA use examples Process to become an IPAWS User

Select IPAWS compatible software

Apply for Memorandum of Agreement

Apply for Public Alerting Coordinated with State Authority permission if applicable

Complete IPAWS web- based training

Complete the application http://www.fema.gov/how-sign-ipaws IPAWS-Compatible Alerting Tools

• More than 50 vendors offer IPAWS compatible tools/systems • Vary widely in capabilities and user interface options

Not all tools support all IPAWS capabilities! (e.g. polygon warning, testing with IPAWS Lab) –

Ask your vendor! Ask the IPAWS Office ([email protected])

Live people’s cell phones & TVs IPAWS OPEN Emergency

Alerting Tool Test Environment devices at the IPAWS Lab only IPAWS

LAB Emergency IPAWS Lab • FEMA Test Lab supports alert and warning system evaluation, demonstration, exercises and testing – Offline version of IPAWS with alerting outlets – Located at DISA Joint Interoperability Test Command

16 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 Webinar and Information Mailing List: https://www.fema.gov/integrated-public-alert-warning-system-program-management-office-get-involved

17 IPAWS is the only system providing rapid, geo-targeted, broadcast of information to the public over multiple communications channels simultaneously

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

NON-WEATHER EMERGNECY MESSAGE

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING DANE COUNTY 911 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /SULLIVAN WI 1100 AM CDT MON APR 07 2003 ...SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING NEAR THE XYZ CHEMICAL PLANT NEAR DANE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT… THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS BEING TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE DANE COUNTY 911 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER DUE TO A TOXIC GAS RELEASE. MADISON EMERGNCY SERVICES HAS ISSUED A SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING. THERE HAS BEEN A RELEASE OF BUTADIENE FROM XYZ CHEMICAL PLANT. THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND IS FROM THE NORTHEAST. THE WIND SPEED IS ABOUT 10 MILES PER HOUR. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE... PEOPLE NEAR THE DANE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT...AND WITHIN A 2 MILE RADIUS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER. 18 SHELTER IN PLACE WARNING ACTIONS: 1. GO INSIDE 2. CLOSE ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS 3. TURN OFF ALL VENTILATION SYSTEMS 4. TUNE TO MEDIA FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Questions

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