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IPAWS Overview

• What is IPAWS?
• What will IPAWS do?

What is IPAWS?

Executive Order 13407 states, "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....and to ensure under all conditions the President can communicate with the American people." FEMA is designated within the Department of Homeland Security to implement the policy of the United States for a public alert and warning system and has established a program office to implement IPAWS. FEMA, as well as numerous public and private industry partners, are working together to transform the national alert and warning system to enable rapid dissemination of authenticated alert information over as many communications pathways as possible.

Vision: Timely Alert and Warning to American People in the preservation of life and property.

Mission: Provide integrated services and capabilities to local, state, and federal authorities that enable them to alert and warn their respective communities via multiple communications methods.

Strategic Goals:
Goal 1 – Create and maintain an integrated interoperable environment for alert and warning
Goal 2 – Make alert and warning more effective
Goal 3 – Strengthen the Resilience of IPAWS Infrastructure

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What will IPAWS do?

• IPAWS will allow the President of the United States to speak to the American people under all emergency circumstances, including situations of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other hazards.
• IPAWS will build and maintain an effective, reliable, integrated, flexible, and comprehensive alert and warning system.
• IPAWS will enable Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local alert and warning emergency communication officials to access multiple broadcast and other communications pathways for the purpose of creating and activating alert and warning messages related to any hazard impacting public safety and well-being.
• IPAWS will reach the American public before, during, and after a disaster through as many means as possible.
• IPAWS will diversify and modernize the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
• IPAWS will create an interoperability framework by establishing or adopting standards such as the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).
• IPAWS will enable alert and warning to those with disabilities and to those without an understanding of the English language.
• IPAWS will partner with NOAA to enable seamless integration of message transmission through national networks.

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Last Modified: Thursday, 27-Oct-2011 15:15:41 EDT