Review of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Modernization Final Report
Question
Review the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Modernization Final Report.
-Analyze the recommendations and identify the importance of the recommendations and their genesis.
-Discuss their relevance in today’s complex environment.
-How will these recommendations improve the IPAWS mission?
-Are these recommendations feasible and what are the possible challenges with implementing them?
-Are there any other recommendations/considerations for the success of the IPAWS mission?
Incorporate case studies, journal articles, and other scholarly means where appropriate to support your work.


Solution
Review
of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Modernization Final
Report
Integrated
Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)
The Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System, also known as IPAWS, utilizes the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to distribute authentic emergency and life-saving information via
mobile phones, television, or radio. The system was created to facilitate the
utilization of multiple pathways for the public to increase the likelihood of
the message successfully reaching the public. This system allows alerting authorities
to write a warning message using the available commercial software that
complies with Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) (“Integrated public alert &
warning system,” n.d.). The message is then delivered to the IPAWS open
emergence network for authentication, followed by simultaneous delivery through
multiple communication pathways. As a result, IPAWS has made it possible for
emergency alerting agencies to alert as many people as possible within a short
time.
Review
of the IPAWS modernization final report.
Early 2019, FEMA announced the
completion of the IPAWS modernization report (FEMA integrated public alert
and warning system subcommittee final report available, 2019, p. 1). The
IPAWS modernization act (Public Law 114-143) established a National Advisory
Council (NAC) IPAWS subcommittee due to the IPAWS Modernization Act. The group
was instructed to develop ideas for improving the Integrated Public Alert and
Warning Systems. The committee’s objective was to ensure that the systems used
diverse communication technologies and embraced and utilized future
technologies for direct public contact, sending messages to a wide segment of
affected persons, and enhancing remote areas’ access to alerts. The report
included fourteen recommendations, each assigned to one of five broad
categories.
Recommendations
by Theme
Theme
1: “Improving Alerting Authorities’ Ability To Transmit Effective Alerts.”
Recommendation
1
To improve Alerting Organizations’
emergency messaging, FEMA could perhaps recognize, establish, enhance, and
provide teaching, mentorship, and methodologies on sophisticated and usable
alert/warning textual content. According to Sutton et al. (2019), emergency
communication should be created and disseminated appropriately. The authority
of alert messages, such as message guidance, should focus on including the
source, hazard, location, consequences, actions, and distribution to Alert
Originators (AOs) across the country. In addition, AOs must be knowledgeable
about generating actionable and timely alerts for the public to follow to
ensure public safety and timely response. Finally, AOs should be consistent in delivering
alert messages, with multiple redundant modern and traditional public alert
communication channels and technologies being used.
Recommendation
2
FEMA should develop simple
notifications and alerting jurisdictional and multi-jurisdictional strategy
frameworks and toolkits to provide best practices and guidance for emergency warnings.
On the other hand, unclear information leaves individuals to fill in the
blanks, resulting in sluggish replies with life-threatening ramifications
(Sutton et al., 2019). Developing and implementing clear functional plans that
define the public alert triggers dependent on risk, suggested public response,
and alert types enhance audience understanding and reaction times. Smartphone
tracking and a simple alert procedure guarantee that the public is informed.
Instead of issuing separate and possibly conflicting messages, AOs in adjacent
jurisdictions send the alert across all platforms.
Recommendation
3
The State, Local, Tribal, and
Territorial governments (SLTTs) should work with FEMA to develop widespread
awareness and understanding of IPAWS through a multi-media alert, and warning
campaign targeting authorized alerting authorities. In addition, to maintain
continuity of alert and notification services across the country, countries
require an integrated public alert and warning system. Although, as a result,
many public reaction strategies will not include IPAWS, campaigns to increase
IPAWS visibility, incorporation, and used by many existing and emerging
notifying security agencies are required. This awareness will help to ensure
that the alert messages are effective and that the public responds quickly.
Recommendation
4
FEMA should engage with the AO's,
including emergency warning planning and message composition, through a
contract or grant. The following are critical elements of effective operation:
notification, knowledge management, and recording. The IPAWS-1 training may be
completed through courses, distance learning, and real-world applications that
need recertification to use the IPAWS systems. To make the system more useful,
it will be necessary to build a variety of interactive and educational
distribution methods, consider the IPAWS Modernization Act of 2015, and offer
online and physical assistance for successful IPAWS usage. As a result, the
training will guarantee that AOs are adequately prepared to provide better
services.
Recommendation
5
Set up a helpdesk for AOs to receive
user-friendly information and assistance, allowing them to issue timely and
effective notifications. The 24/7 support will help identify failed alerts and
alert the AOs to take appropriate action. In addition, 24/7 support helps the
Alert Originators by keeping an inventory of existing resources which can
easily be accessed.
Theme
2: Improving Public and Congressional Understanding of Emergence Alerting
Recommendation
6
The final stage of the evaluation
process is to compare IPAWS with other systems (e.g., Next-Generation 9-1-1).
FEMA should work with the Federal Communications Commission, Alert Originators,
and IPAWS distributors to determine how different alerts are distinguished.
Additionally, to improve the public’s confidence in alerts, FEMA should create
awareness of how alerts from IPAWS are sent across multiple platforms. This
awareness will help eliminate confusion created by false alerts from private
sectors and increase public compliance with these alerts.
Recommendation
7
FEMA should educate lawmakers on the improvements
needed in emergency alerting systems to reach a larger number of people in
urban and rural areas. Technology is constantly evolving, and lawmakers must
stay updated on the latest developments to improve their emergency alerting
systems. Improvements to these systems will ensure that alerts are received on
time, even in the most remote locations.
Theme
3: Optimizing Technology
Recommendation
8
The population around the world is
diverse. Hence, FEMA should lead in the development of comprehensive standards
set to visual symbols, transcripts, and captions for easy understanding of
alerts. In addition, continued improvement of IPAWS capabilities ensures that
every individual can comprehend the alerts promptly.
Recommendation
9
During the conversation, individual
anonymity is crucial. FEMA should work with the Federal Communication
Commission, subject-matter experts, and the Federal Trade Commission to assure
consumer protection and private information. Unauthorized persons may now
obtain information maliciously, thanks to technological advancements.
Enforcement activities will assist prevent consumer fraud as a result of IPAWS
misuse or exposure.
Theme
4: Identifying and Adopting Current and Future Technologies
Recommendation
10
FEMA should work with important and
non-traditional alert and warning stakeholders to help provide alert messages
on various platforms, including the latest technologies. For example,
stakeholders such as gaming platforms, billboards, instant messaging platforms,
kiosks, and assistive communication platforms will help reach many people
promptly.
Recommendation
11
A jurisdiction’s primary alert
capability may fail during a catastrophic event or be compromised. FEMA should
establish capacity and legislation to enable redundant alert originating
capability in the event that law enforcement authorities are unable to comply
with established safety measures. Furthermore, alternative alert originators
aid in avoiding disastrous outcomes when the primary alert system fails.
Recommendation
12
FEMA should have high-availability,
high-capacity capabilities to host and retrieve files with multi-media
information. This installation helps in retrieving files that could be lost
during catastrophic disasters. For example, the 2016 Chelsea bombing in New
York highlighted difficulties in sending information through Wireless Emergency
Alert (Goodman & Gelles, 2016). As a result, to avoid this problem, the
ability to send links was added to Wireless Emergency Alert messages.
Recommendation
13
With FEM guidance, standards, and best practices,
Alerts and warnings should be more effective. In addition, IPAWS will improve
alert senders’ and recipients’ experiences by improving security workflow and
access control, providing consistency of messaging, and considering
accessibility requirements.
Theme
5: Initiate Cross-Functional Management and Administration of IPAWS
Recommendation
14
Stakeholders involved in alert and
warning notifications should be kept in touch with by FEMA. This ongoing
involvement ensures that topics such as technological changes and improvements
are addressed. Furthermore, the engagement aids in investigating methods to
reduce the number of false alarms.
The world is evolving, and many
social, cultural, economic, and technological changes have occurred. Some of
these changes have created a complex today. For example, technological changes
have changed the world to greater levels. Unlike the early times when messages
were conveyed via common channels such as messengers or letters, today’s world
communicates in many ways. Therefore, the recommendations in the report have
addressed the necessary considerations to ensure successful adoption in the
world as it keeps changing. IPAWS’s mission is to offer integrated services to
authorities to send alerts and warnings across multiple platforms.
Implementation of the recommendations in the report will help achieve this
mission as they address the necessary improvements and considerations.
These recommendations are feasible
and achievable with the collaboration of the involved bodies. However, they may
face challenges such as difficulty adapting to the new technology, resistance
to change by some operators, and implementation of some of the suggested
improvements will require additional staff, which will be an expense to the
organization. Apart from teaching and training their operators, FEMA should
also provide online teaching services to the public in marginalized areas.
References
FEMA integrated public alert and
warning system subcommittee final report available
(HQ-19-010). (2019). FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/fema-integrated-public-alert-and-warning-system-subcommittee-final-report
Goodman, J. D.,
& Gelles, D. (2016, September 19). Cellphone alerts used in New
York to search for bombing suspect (Published 2016). The New York Times -
Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. Retrieved May 1, 2022,
from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/cellphone-alerts-used-in-search-of-manhattan-bombing-suspect.html
Integrated public alert & warning
system. (n.d.). FEMA.gov. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/integrated-public-alert-warning-system
Sutton, J., &
Kuligowski, E. D. (2019). Alerts and warnings on short messaging channels:
Guidance from an expert panel process. Natural Hazards Review, 20(2),
04019002.




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