Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Communications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County emergency planner briefs Copperton on emergency communications, IPAWS and the Up Ahead app
Summary
Madison Warner of Salt Lake County MSD walked the Copperton Town Council through options for emergency messaging and coordination, including the Up Ahead opt‑in app, IPAWS broadcast alerts, wireless priority service, ham radio support and templates for PIO messaging.
Madison Warner, municipal planner assigned by the Salt Lake County Municipal Services District, briefed the Copperton Town Council on emergency communications tools, recommended templates and coordination practices for local elected officials.
Why it matters: In an emergency, timely, accurate and verifiable messaging reduces public confusion. Warner emphasized combining opt‑in local tools (the Up Ahead app) with network‑level alerts (IPAWS) and traditional liaison channels to reach residents and visiting populations.
What Warner told the council
- Up Ahead vs. IPAWS: Warner described Up Ahead as an opt‑in messaging app residents subscribe to. IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) sends cell‑tower‑based push alerts to anyone in a broadcast area without sign‑up and is appropriate for life‑safety evacuation orders. Up Ahead is better for localized non‑life‑threatening information such as road closures or water‑line breaks.
- Priority communications and redundancy: Warner recommended wireless priority service (WPS) for critical personnel to regain cellular service during outages, and noted coordination with ARES/Ham radio operators and periodic mobile tests as an additional redundancy path.
- PIO coordination and messaging best practices: Warner recommended naming a local point of contact to work with county and incident public information officers (PIOs), preparing pre‑written message templates at a third‑grade reading level and using translators or ASL services for accessibility. She also advised time‑stamped situation reports and a single PIO channel for public release to avoid conflicting information.
- Emergency operations center (EOC) participation: Warner explained incident command elements council members might encounter if asked to participate in an EOC, including the need for concise situation reports, essential elements of information and regular coordination calls.
Training and follow‑up
Warner recommended FEMA ICS courses (ICS 100, 200, 700, 800) and a NIMS orientation for senior officials (G‑402). She said MSD will provide one‑page emergency reference sheets for elected officials and offered tabletop exercises for Copperton to rehearse incident scenarios.
Ending
Council members asked Warner to share contact lists for county liaisons and to work with town staff to prepare message templates and Up Ahead drafts for review ahead of the next meeting.
