Wireless Emergency Alerts

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) can save lives during an emergency and Gwinnett County was one of the first counties in Georgia to use the technology. This new service helps fill a gap in notifying residents and visitors of threats to their safety. Now, geo-targeted alerts sent to all enabled cell phones in the target area by the County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) can warn of fires, hazardous materials incidents, local emergencies, shelter-in-place warnings, and 911 service outage emergencies. Alerts include the time and type of alert and any action that should be taken. They do not duplicate AMBER alerts or extreme weather mes¬sages from the National Weather Service and alert messages do not disrupt text, calls, or data sessions that are in progress. WEA alerts have a unique audible signal and vibration cadence so everyone, including those with disabilities, will be aware of the text-like message coming in. Our implementation of WEA went far beyond compliance with federal requirements. Specific milestones included: revisions to the Countywide Emergency Operations Plan, legal agreements with FEMA, software acquisition, installation, testing, and certification, completion of federally mandated training for OEM staff, training for county and municipal public safety departments, and a public education campaign.