Maine Center on Deafness : Emergency Notification Alerts

Maine's Emergency Notification System for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing

from Lessons Learned: Information Sharing; U.S. Department of Homeland Security

SUMMARY

Maine's Emergency Notification System (ENS) provides its deaf and hard-of-hearing residents with emergency information. The ENS sends written versions of Emergency Alert System (EAS) notices and county-specific alerts to participating deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals via email. Participants may use their own pagers or other email compatible devices to receive alerts, or they may apply to the Maine Center on Deafness (MCD) for equipment/service for reduced or no cost.

BACKGROUND

In January 1998, a major ice storm caused widespread power outages and treacherous driving conditions across the state of Maine, trapping many residents inside of their homes. While the hearing-enabled were able to obtain information about the storm through battery-operated radios, the deaf were isolated in their homes without any information on the storm, driving conditions, or power situation.

Following this incident, the non-profit MCD began sponsoring formal discussions on the issue. Arthur Cleaves, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and Jan Devinney, director of the Maine Division of Deafness (DoD), attended these discussions and recognized the need for their agencies to partner with the MCD to provide a solution to this problem. The MCD, MEMA, and DoD then began a collaborative effort to increase public and legislature awareness of the issue.

In 2001, the Maine legislature created a study group to examine an emergency alert notification system for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Two years later, the legislature implemented the study group?s legislative recommendation to include emergency alert equipment in Maine's Communications Equipment Program, a program which provides specialized telecommunications equipment for persons with disabilities.

The MEMA agreed to develop the technical components of the system to receive and forward emergency alerts automatically. Following the completion of the system, the MCD began promoting the program and distributing equipment within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. In March 2005, Maine's ENS was officially launched.

GOALS

Maine's ENS provides the deaf and hard-of-hearing residents of Maine with immediate emergency information.

DESCRIPTION

Maine's deaf and hard-of-hearing can immediately receive various kinds of emergency alerts from the MEMA. The MEMA uses a web-linked database, which automatically receives, filters, and forwards emergency information. Maine's deaf and hard-of-hearing can also apply for free or price-reduced pagers to receive such messages at the MCD.

Alerts

ENS participants automatically receive all EAS notices and MEMA alerts. EAS notices?the most significant emergency alerts?are issued statewide to all counties. EAS notices include National Weather Service (NWS) Warnings and Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS) Amber Alerts.

In addition to EAS notices, participants have the option to receive county-specific alerts. Individuals can choose to receive county-specific emergency alerts from the following agencies:

NWS alerts concerning the weather, hydrology, and climate;
DPS alerts concerning the protection and safety of Maine's citizens; and
Maine Department of Transportation (DoT) alerts concerning Maine's highways, bridges, airports, ports, railroads, and public transportation.

Alert Notification

Maine's Office of Information Technology (OIT), under the funding and direction of MEMA, developed a database to receive and recognize all NWS and DoT digitally coded messages automatically. Received messages are automatically filtered to include only messages of significant emergency information. For example, a major bridge or highway closure would be recognized as significant, while a neighborhood road closure would not. Emergency messages are then automatically sent via email (in groups of 25 or less to avoid spam recognition) to appropriate individuals, according to their county residence and alert preferences. Most participants are immediately notified as they receive an instant text message on their individual pager. The entire process takes about 5-10 minutes.

The MEMA and DPS are integrated into the database as well, but they issue their alerts manually. Public Information Officers (PIOs) in each agency have password-protected access to the database. Protocols enable the PIOs to submit emergency information into the database in a timely manner, usually immediately following a press release or public information notice. Information is entered into a standard template to ensure concise, consistent, and appropriate language.

Equipment and Service Costs

The MCD provides equipment and service to deaf citizens of Maine on a sliding scale. Individuals whose income is less than 225% of the poverty level are eligible to receive equipment and service free-of-charge. The MCD provides:

One-way pagers by Northeast Paging that receive unlimited text messages; and
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Emergency Weather Alert Radio with LCD screen that receive only NWS alerts and are not compatible with the ENS

All free equipment becomes the property and responsibility of the participant. Free pagers will not be replaced for at least three years. The MCD will provide the individual with a NOAA emergency alert stationary radio if a free pager is stolen, lost, or damaged. Deaf citizens of Maine who own their own pagers may request to receive emergency alerts free-of-charge.

Information Manual

The MCD, with assistance from the MEMA, developed an emergency information manual which contains instructions on how to stay safe during different types of emergencies. The manual is used as a reference companion for emergency alerts. For example, following a NWS tornado warning alert, the MEMA may send a follow-up alert with additional information. This follow-up alert may instruct the participant to refer to a certain page number of the manual for recommended actions during a tornado. Utilizing the manual in this manner helps to relay important information without exceeding pager character limits (incoming pager messages are restricted to 220 characters). This manual is given to all participants receiving equipment.

Joining the Program

The ENS is only available to Maine residents with proven hearing loss. To join the program, individuals must contact the MCD office or visit the MCD website for an application. Applicants who do not wish to receive free or reduced equipment need only to provide Proof-of-Disability with the application. If an applicant chooses to receive alerts beyond the standard EAS notices, he or she may specify the additional alerts they wish to receive and the county they wish to receive it for. Applicants who wish to receive free or discounted equipment must also provide Proof-of-Income to determine eligibility.

REQUIREMENTS

Keys to Success

Awareness of Issue. Many hearing individuals are not aware of the difficulties deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have in receiving emergency information. A deaf community advocacy group was important for promoting public and legislature awareness of the issue. Jan Devinney and other deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals provided compelling testimony of the need for the system to a number of key individuals. This was important in getting support and cooperation from various organizations.
Partnerships. Close collaboration and coordination between the MEMA, MCD, and DoD was key to the success of the ENS. Each organization contributed its respective expertise and available resources in developing and executing the program. They were also successful in gathering support from other organizations, such as the DPS and OIT, in developing the system.

Resources

The MEMA provided $15,000 out of its annual budget for the development of the database and other technical components of the ENS. Maine's Communications Equipment Program provided $26,000 for the purchasing and distribution of emergency notification equipment. Funding for the Communications Equipment Program comes from the Maine Universal Service Fund, which is financed by surcharge on telephone use in Maine.

Links

Maine Center on Deafness

Back