Higher Education Activating IPAWS?

An oft-asked question, "Can colleges and universities activate alerts via IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) and WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts)?" After all, most have sworn public safety organizations.

As is the case for so many alerting questions, the answer is "maybe." The answer is really up to the state involved. Although IPAWS and WEA are managed by FEMA, the feds have passed along authority to designate who can and cannot activate alerts to the states (mostly state emergency management agencies.) Some of the states have given alerting authority to higher education; others haven't.

So far, the following schools have been granted alerting authority by their states:

• University of Alabama
• Idaho State University
• Stony Brook University (New York)
• Clemson University (South Carolina)

Levels of alerting authority varies from school to school. For example, University of Alabama is only authorized to activate WEA, not EAS. And, they may only do so for events in their home county of Tuscaloosa. Stony Brook in New York, on the other hand, can authorize both WEA and EAS alerts for Suffolk County. Clemson in South Carolina has authority to activate via any IPAWS outlet, with several "event codes" approved.

There's another batch of schools with applications pending with FEMA in Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. But getting approved by FEMA doesn't necessarily mean they'll get alerting authority. It means they'll have access to information sharing and other IPAWS tools. Alerting authority must come from the state, after FEMA approves.

One of the keys to success, of course, is collaboration with other local authorities. IPAWS can help facilitate communication, but if collaboration isn't happening on a day-to-day basis, it's not going to happen in an emergency.

Check your state to find out if you're eligible to send alerts via IPAWS. EAS rules are laid out in the state EAS plans. WEA alerts can be used for local "imminent threats."