This section contains information about resources the American people can use to learn more about how to receive and appropriately respond to alerts and warnings from public safety officials.
The American people are the foundation of all partner groups and the primary reason the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Program Management Office (PMO) works to create an effective, reliable, integrated, flexible, and comprehensive public alert and warning system. It is incumbent upon the IPAWS PMO to reach out to the American people, in order to ensure all segments of the American population understand the functions of IPAWS and how to appropriately respond to alerts and warnings from public safety officials.
The IPAWS PMO, in partnership with State and local alerting authorities, public and private sector partners, Federal partners, and non-profit and advocacy organizations, use opportunities and available venues to provide educational and actionable information to the American people.
IPAWS and Ready.gov
Public Service Announcements (PSA) for TV and radio, in English and Spanish, were released in June 2013 and were created as a means to draw the public’s attention to Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and how they are an important lifesaving tool. The PSAs are intended to educate the public on what WEA is, how to recognize when a message is received, to heed the warning and take the prescribed protective action in the message, and directs viewers to learn more about life-saving alerts at www.Ready.gov/alerts.
The IPAWS PMO encourages public safety officials to take full advantage of these products and work with local broadcasters to make the WEA PSAs a part of local public education campaigns by individualizing the PSA tagline. FEMA works with all public safety officials who are interested in incorporating these and other products into local efforts to educate the public about emergency alerts.
The IPAWS PMO and Ready.gov also developed a webpage with up-to-date information informing the public about how to prepare for emergencies. Ready.gov/alerts provides information about WEAs, the Emergency Alert System (EAS), and NOAA’s All Hazards Radio. The webpage hosts all the WEA PSAs as well as other helpful information for the public.
IPAWS Independent Study Course for the American Public
IPAWS offers a free 15 minute web-based training course, “IPAWS and the American Public” //www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-248 and five one-minute educational videos providing valuable information to educate the public on how to respond when they receive an alert as well as the variety of alert and warning tools and technologies public safety officials can use to send life-saving alerts.