The PPW's draft national warning strategy document is now available for downloading, review, and comment on the website for the Partnership For Public Warning, Inc. ("PPW").

While this draft document is the first time anyone has proposed an overall warning strategy for the USA, it will only help if as many stakeholders as possible read it and send us comments that either support what it says or suggest other ways to say it.  We now have the ear of several key people in the Department of Homeland Security who clearly understand that we need a broadly supported statement of national purpose for public warnings, present and future.  This document is based on the work of over 30 warning experts from fields as diverse as law enforcement and sociology.

While many of us can look ahead to more advanced warning systems than the current EAS, weather service products, and other offerings, we have to deal with the current EAS and other systems as our legacy to that future. What we carry into the future that ties back to current legacy systems brings along with it a set of great challenges.

The PPW is also very close to publishing a draft white paper on the EAS that we hope will go through the same review and comment process.  The PPW is also looking for opportunities throughout the country for face-to-face group discussions on various aspects of the draft strategy, and on the draft EAS document we are still working on once it is released. 

If anyone has ideas on possible forums, please let me know.  We are already working with the FCC's Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC), the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), and the National Association of Broadcaster Associations (NASBA) on possible events along the lines I have outlined that could be held in Las Vegas next month.  These might even take the form of programs sponsored by SBE Chapters, or other groups -- even interested community groups.

Richard Rudman, rar01@earthlink.net
Secretary, Board of Trustees
The Partnership For Public Warning