Want to Help Shape IPAWS?

The feds are looking for people to come up with recommendations on the nation's most aggressive alerting initiative, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). Those chosen will sit on a new subcommittee of the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC). They will develop recommendations to the FEMA administrator who, by law, will then report the recommendations to Congress. This could be an excellent opportunity to influence an increasingly important program.

Some of the slots on the subcommittee will be filled by officials from FEMA, FCC, DHS, NOAA, the Commerce Department, and National Council on Disability. However, positions are open for others such as:

• local, state, and tribal government officials
• emergency managers and first responders
• vendors, developers and manufacturers of communications systems,
• broadcasting, cable or satellite industry officials,
• national organizations representing either people with disabilities, functional needs, the elderly, or limited English proficiency
• consumer privacy advocates

The deadline for applications is Oct. 6. Instructions for applying are available by going here, then clicking "Membership Application Instructions."

The NAC IPAWS Subcommittee will have specific charges tied to the program's goals. They'll have input into geographic targeting, always a hot topic for the IPAWS-led initiative of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). They'll make recommendations on services for people with disabilities and limited English proficiency as well as reaching visitors, tourists and those in remote areas. The subcommittee will also make recommendations on using multiple communications technologies, redundant alert mechanisms, and reaching people regardless of their use of a specific medium or device (ala Ubiquitous Alerts).  

The subcommittee could carry considerable weight, particularly as their recommendations make their way to Congress. Some members of Congress have shown interest in IPAWS, but the annual appropriation is only in the $16 million range. That's a small amount for a program that can provide alerts to virtually everyone in the U.S.  

It sure would be nice to have a strong response to the call for applications from local, state and tribal emergency managers, and first responders. The very active alerting vendor community should show up in force too.