ITEM TITLE:
Approval of Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Valdez Police Department and IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System)
SUBMITTED BY: Aaron Baczuk, Emergency Manager
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: na
Unencumbered Balance: na
Funding Source: na
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve MOA with IPAWS
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
We presently have a three- year agreement with IPAWS which is due to expirewould , and this is a renewal.
The purpose of IPAWS is to assist in altering the public to serious life threatening incidents. IPAWS integrates into our NIXLE/Everbridge account and does the following:
WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts)
- Allows our NIXLE/Everbridge message to reach all cellular devices in our geographic area whether or not someone has signed up for NIXLE or not.
EAS (Emergency Alerting System)
- Allows our NIXLE/Everbridge text message to go out as an interrupting banner on participating television/cable providers that support IPAWS
- Allows our NIXLE/Everbridge text message to go out as interrupting audio over participating radio stations that support IPAWS
- Allows our NIXLE/Everbridge text message to go out as audio over NOAA weather radios (not certain that capability is available yet in Alaska)
The city currently has an MOA with IPAWS which is due to expire. The term of this MOA shall not exceed three-years.