Public Safety Announcements

☎️ Public Safety Communicators (Emergency Managers, 911 Dispatchers, Law Enforcement, and others): if you are responsible for alerts and warnings in your community, you should know about these FREE tools that were paid for by FEMA-IPAWS to help you do your work better. ⚠️ 1. The Warning Lexicon bit.ly/WarningLexicon provides you with templates for 48 hazards. Download the supplemental material that will direct you on how to write a message that includes the Source, Hazard + Impact, Location, Time, and Protective Action Guidance. The contents are provided in the document making it a simple process of selecting pre-vetted and pre-verified messaging contents. ⚠️ 2. The Message Design Dashboard, hosted on the FEMA-IPAWS Assistive Tools Platform. The MDD was built under a contract from FEMA-IPAWS to integrate the data from the Warning Lexicon into a simple to use software that is freely available here: atp.aws.fema.gov ⚠️ 3. Self-Paced Training on how to write effective messages for alerts and warnings. This is NOT a 'how to use the IPAWS technology' course. It teaches you the science behind alerts and warnings and will improve your ability to write effectively for short messages. Go here: bit.ly/Learn2Warn ⚠️ 4. Not paid for by FEMA, but free to access and use: Evidence-based analyses of historical WEAs, with explanations on why the WEA was effective or not, can be found on the blog posts contained in The Warn Room. Go here: thewarnroom.com Please share these resources with your friends and colleagues. Effective messaging is the last mile of an effective warning system and we can improve outcomes by applying evidence-based guidance. #notwrittenbyAI Steven Kuhr Steve Staeger Kelly McKinney Zach Stanford Ron Prater Seth Schalet Rob Dale, CEM Manny Centeno Micki Olson, Ph.D Hugh Walpole, PhD Madison McGuire Carol Freeman Carol Parks Travis Cryan, CEM Brian Murray Clint Osborn Kim Zagaris

When crafting public safety messages, consider how people respond to language. Think about when you tell a child “Don’t touch that”—what happens? They immediately want to touch it. Adults are no different. When we say “Avoid the area”, curiosity often takes over, leading some to do the opposite. Instead of focusing on what not to do, shift the language to what people can or should do—and explain why. ✔ Instead of: “Avoid the area.” ➡ Try: “Please seek alternative routes to keep traffic moving safely.” ✔ Instead of: “Shelter in place.” ➡ Try: “For your safety, due to hazardous air conditions that could be dangerous to your health, we urge you to remain indoors until further notice.” When people understand the why, they are more likely to listen, comply, and trust the message. Public safety communications should inform, empower, and engage—not just direct. By making this small shift in how we deliver critical messages, we can improve public cooperation and overall safety.

A recent cyberattack on the CodeRED emergency notification system, operated by OnSolve, has resulted in a nationwide outage since early November 2025, severely disrupting public safety communications across multiple regions. In the St. Louis area, including cities such as Eureka, Glendale, and O'Fallon in Missouri, as well as Warren County, authorities can no longer deliver targeted alerts for severe weather, evacuations, water main breaks, and traffic closures via text, phone, or email. Local officials are relying on alternative channels like social media and dedicated webpages to inform residents, though these methods lack the precision and speed of the original system. While no confirmed data breaches have occurred, O'Fallon officials have warned of potential leaks involving user names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and passwords, advising residents to update credentials on related accounts. The implications of this incident extend far beyond the St. Louis region, highlighting vulnerabilities in centralized emergency alert infrastructure used by thousands of public safety agencies nationwide. CodeRED's role in delivering location-based notifications underscores the risk to community preparedness during critical events, prompting a swift transition to interim platforms without a clear restoration timeline. Nationally, the outage amplifies concerns over third-party dependencies in cybersecurity, as similar disruptions could cascade into broader delays in life-saving responses. This event serves as a call for enhanced resilience measures, including diversified notification systems and proactive data protection protocols, to safeguard public safety amid rising cyber threats. OnSolve has migrated users to a new platform by Crisis24, with no timeline for full restoration, underscoring the need for diversified emergency communication strategies amid evolving cyber threats. Additional news: https://lnkd.in/gdNpGkXw #cyberattack #codered #emergencynotification #publicsafety #cybersecurity #databreach #stlouis #missouri #onsolv #criticalinfrastructure #intrusion #emergencyalert #firstresponders #communitysafety #gardaworld https://lnkd.in/gKCcXhf4

So here’s a basic message we’ve somehow forgotten: All local broadcasters — public TV, commercial TV, and radio — stay on the air when the power is out, the internet dies, and the cell network crashes. They don’t depend on apps, Wi-Fi, cable, streaming, or a login. They run on hardened towers, backup generators, and trained local teams who know how to cut into programming fast when something breaks. Broadcast is still the backbone. Always has been. The problem? Millions of people don’t know that anymore. They don’t know they can get local TV for free with an antenna. They don’t know stations stay on with generators. They don’t know this is the one system that works when everything else fails. In every major disaster I’ve been in, broadcast was still standing long after the fancy technology went down. So here’s the reminder: If you can power a small TV or radio — even with a portable battery — you can get live, local information during an outage. And communities that can’t afford backup power at home can still set up places where the signal is always available — fire stations, libraries, churches, rec centers, apartment clubhouses. Local broadcasters are part of your no-fail public safety system. Let’s start treating them that way again — and let’s make sure the public knows how to reach them when it matters most.

Today, millions of phones across India lit up with a loud, unmistakable “Emergency Alert.” For many, it was disruptive. For some, alarming. But it was something else entirely — reassuring. What we witnessed today wasn’t just a test. It was a signal of intent. India is quietly building the muscle to communicate with every citizen, instantly, when it matters most. In a world defined by volatility — climate events, urban density, digital dependency — the ability to cut through noise and reach people in real time is not a feature. It’s national infrastructure. What stood out clearly is: → The scale — reaching millions simultaneously is no small feat → The decisiveness — alerts that override silence are designed for moments where hesitation costs lives → The direction — this is what a digitally enabled, citizen-first state begins to look like Having spent years in telecom and digital ecosystems, I see this as a powerful convergence of network capability, policy intent, and public safety. The real opportunity now is to build trust and awareness — so that when the signal comes in a real crisis, people don’t question it. They act. Today was a drill. Tomorrow, it could be the difference between chaos and coordination. Mohit Batta #DigitalIndia #PublicSafety #Telecom #CrisisManagement #Leadership #Infrastructure

Your phone buzzed today with a message you didn't expect. That wasn't spam — that was India speaking to you. 🇮🇳 Today, Home Minister Amit Shah and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched SACHET — India's nationwide disaster alert system, now powered by Cell Broadcast technology. "India launches Cell Broadcast using indigenous technology, for instant disaster alerting service for its citizens. Alert citizens, safe nation." What makes this remarkable? Unlike SMS which reaches individuals one by one, Cell Broadcast pushes an alert simultaneously to every mobile device in a geographic area — in seconds. Earthquakes, tsunamis, gas leaks, industrial accidents — critical seconds saved can mean lives saved. SACHET isn't new — it's already sent over 134 billion alerts in 19 Indian languages across all 36 states and UTs. Today's upgrade just made it faster, wider, and smarter. Built by C-DOT, India's own telecom R&D institution, using the globally recognised Common Alerting Protocol — this is indigenous tech at its finest. As someone who works at the intersection of technology and community, this moment stands out. We often talk about scale in boardrooms. Today India demonstrated it on every smartphone in the country. If your phone buzzed today — now you know why. Don't panic. Be proud. 🙌 #SACHET #DisasterManagement #IndigenousTech #CDOT #PublicSafety #India #CellBroadcast #NDMA

How do we make emergency alerts more accessible without losing accuracy when every word matters? That question is at the heart of work AT&T and Arizona State University have been doing to evaluate on-device machine translation for Wireless Emergency Alerts across 13 languages. This effort is especially timely as multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts continue to advance in the U.S. We evaluated about 35,000 alert messages using multiple quality metrics and a composite model designed to reflect linguistic risk—not just literal translation accuracy. A few takeaways stood out: Some languages showed strong and consistent performance, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Filipino. Results varied depending on linguistic structure and message type. The bigger challenge is preserving meaning across languages in high-stakes situations. For me, that is the most important point: in emergency communications, meaning matters more than word-for-word translation. The goal is straightforward: public safety communications should be reliable, equitable, and actionable. There is still more work to do, from domain-adapted models to stronger standards and more consistent performance across languages, but this kind of research helps move the conversation forward. Because when alerts reach people in a language they understand and in a way that preserves the intended meaning, we are better positioned to serve communities when it matters most. Short overview of the work here: https://lnkd.in/eZAbztbC

🚨 Los Angeles Fires: A Critical Lesson in Emergency Mass Notification 🚨 In the face of emergencies like the devastating fires in Los Angeles, having a UNIFIED Mass Notification System isn’t just a "nice to have"—it's essential for saving lives. Here’s why: Despite the best efforts of emergency management teams, evacuation alerts from software systems were received HOURS after they were sent. This wasn’t due to damaged cell towers—they were sent before the towers were impacted. 🔑 What’s the solution? A truly UNIFIED Mass Notification System. A UNIFIED system ensures: ✅ Alerts are sent through multiple channels: electronic, indoor systems, and outdoor sirens. ✅ Redundancy protects communication when cellular and power systems fail. ✅ SAFE Units deliver alerts directly into homes, operating on a SAFE Network that doesn’t rely on cellular or AC power. The takeaway for emergency managers: "We have alert software; we’re good" is no longer enough. Even the most advanced software networks can fail in real-life emergencies. Outdoor sirens, indoor alerting, and resilient technologies like SAFE Units are game changers in reaching people when it matters most. As we watch these fires unfold, let’s push for stronger, more resilient notification systems to protect our communities. Lives depend on it. #EmergencyManagement #MassNotification #LosAngelesFires #DisasterPreparedness #PublicSafety

⛈️ The recent tragic events in Valencia and the public outcry over delayed emergency alerts in Cadaqués, Girona (👉 https://lnkd.in/dvUcbv9q) highlight a critical need for more effective emergency communication systems. While broadcast 📲 SMS messages are a common method, they often fail to reach drivers in time, potentially leading to dire consequences. 𝐓𝐏𝐄𝐆2-𝐄𝐀𝐖: 𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 TPEG2 Emergency Alerts & Warnings (EAW) standard, developed by TISA - Traveller Information Services Association offers a solution. By translating the Common Alert Protocol (CAP) messages from public emergency management authorities into a format compatible with in-vehicle traffic information systems, TPEG2-EAW ensures that critical warnings reach drivers directly in their vehicles. This timely delivery can significantly reduce the risk of accidents and loss of life during extreme weather events. The power of In-Vehicle alerts: 🚗 Immediate notification: drivers receive alerts as soon as they enter a danger zone 🚨 Geofenced warnings: specific alerts can be targeted to affected areas 💬 Multilingual support: information is accessible to a wider audience ✅ A proven solution: a recent trial in Germany, conducted by the German Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK)) in collaboration with mecom Medien-Communications-Gesellschaft mbH and TomTom, demonstrated the effectiveness of TPEG2-EAW. Emergency alerts were successfully transmitted to vehicles, enabling drivers to avoid dangerous situations 👉 Link to press release: https://lnkd.in/dG633pdZ 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 By implementing TPEG2-EAW, we can save lives and reduce the impact of extreme weather events. It's time to prioritise this technology and ensure that drivers receive the critical information they need, when they need it most. 📩 Reach out to FACTUAL if looking to learn more about implementing or promoting the TPEG2-EAW protocol to enhance emergency alerting and improve public safety on the roads. Pere Navarro Olivella Ramon Lamiel i Villaró Estibaliz Olabarri Òscar Llatje i Hierro Ana Blanco Bergareche Susana Gómez Garrido PEDRO TOMÁS MARTÍNEZ Stéphanie Chaufton Matthias Unbehaun #RoadSafety #SeguridadVial #SeguretatViaria #ClimateChange #CambioClimatico #CanviClimatic

This morning, my bride departed the Rutter manse for another year of teaching, in her case, leading sixth graders to discover why math isn't as frightening as they had thought. Our older grandson had his first day of kindergarten last Monday. And in the coming weeks, many districts throughout the nation will be welcoming kids back to school. For those of us without school age urchins in the house, our job is to increase our situational awareness on the road, to watch for kids on bikes and walking through crosswalks, to observe school zone speed restrictions in the morning and afternoon, to follow the laws about stopping for loading school buses. Here are some good resources for you to be an advocate for safety as the new year begins: * My friends at the Texas Department of Transportation, whose banner is shown below (what a great lookin' kid, huh?), have an excellent campaign with good ideas to consider here (https://lnkd.in/gkHs6Kgn). * The good folks at the National Safety Council have a checklist to remind us of practical steps to increase safety (https://lnkd.in/gBkSr-gJ). * The peeps at the Texas Department of Public Safety (the ones with the very cool hats) have guidance for safety on the way to school and at school (https://lnkd.in/gZAmPNzM). * Finally, the Texas School Safety Center at the Texas State University (yes, a thing) has deep resources for safety of students and schools throughout the year (https://lnkd.in/gf9vCkDT). Stay safe out there, LinkedIn peeps! #schoolsafety #trafficsafety #endthestreak