Public Safety Communications: Ten Keys to Improving Emergency Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators, and SAFECOM have published a report on ten best practices for emergency alert, warning, and notification (AWN) systems. The report opens with an overview of AWNs before presenting and describing best practices, which include “Establish Governance,” “Account for Diverse Populations,” and “Monitor and Correct Misinformation,” among others. Another of the best practices, “Identify and Coordinate with Others,” lists the groups with AWN responsibilities, including Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and Public Information Officers (PIOs), and discusses the issues that other AWN stakeholders should coordinate with them.