FEMA Reaches Milestone With Integrated Public Alert & Warning System 

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the nation’s next-generation infrastructure of emergency alert and warning networks clears an important hurdle

Release Date: October 28, 2009
Release Number: HQ-09-133

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Earlier this month, on October 13, the Organization for the Advancement of Structural Information Standards (OASIS) voted to approve the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) v1.2 USA IPAWS Profile as a technical specification for public alert systems. The profile will enable emergency managers across the country to use a common format for creating emergency alert messages that can travel across multiple alert systems. The availability of such a profile furthers FEMA’s objective of increasing interoperability across federal, state and local alert systems.

“We are pleased with the recent progress,” said Antwane Johnson, director, IPAWS. “The input received from industry and other stakeholders has been vital to developing a profile that will meet the needs of the emergency alerting community.”

FEMA has informed the communications industry along with its federal alert partners it may adopt the technical standard as early as the third quarter of 2010.

Also, FEMA has recently initiated a conformity test lab to provide an independent, objective analysis of qualified products to ensure they adhere to the IPAWS technical specifications. Lists of compliant products will be published as they become available.   

IPAWS is a critical part of FEMA’s plan to upgrade the existing national warning systems which allows the president and authorized officials to communicate with the public in times of emergency via television, radio, telephone, cell phone, and other communications pathways. 

The mission of IPAWS is to build and maintain an effective, reliable, integrated, flexible and comprehensive system that enables the American people to receive emergency alert and warning information through as many devices as possible. 

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 28-Oct-2009 14:45:16