Mass Notification Messages: Workshop Proceedings.
Mass Notification Messages: Workshop Proceedings.
(10895 K)
Kuligowski, E. D.; Peacock, R. D.; Averill, J. D.;
Bukowski, R. W.
NIST SP 1093; NIST Special Publication 1093; 162 p.
Mass Notification Messages: Workshop Proceedings.
February 19, 2009, Gaithersburg, MD, 162 pp, 2009.
Keywords:
mass notification; warning systems; public awareness;
emergencies; disasters; hazards; information
dissemination
Abstract:
The goal of the workshop was to provide a forum where
representatives from federal agencies could exchange
ideas and current practices for mass notification in the
event of an emergency and to discuss best practices for
the creation of the messages that are disseminated
during emergencies in the United States. The workshop
included experts on mass notification from 12 different
agencies in the federal government. After a review of
the state-of-the-art on public warnings, the workshop
participants spent the morning and afternoon sessions
discussing the following questions: 1) Break-out Groups:
What are the differences/gaps between current mass
notification systems and the lessons learned from
research on community disasters? 2) Large Group
Discussion: How do we close these gaps to ensure that
the correct information is given to the public when an
emergency is imminent? The results of each session's
deliberations were discussed in the concluding session
of the workshop. The most significant gap identified by
the workshop participants was the lack of information
transfer from researchers studying how the public
responds to warnings to the individuals developing
warnings to disseminate to the public during an
emergency. In order to close this gap, several workshop
participants expressed the need for federal guidelines
and tools for message providers (e.g., local officials,
building managers, etc.) that outline how to develop
messages for each type of emergency and then how to
disseminate these messages appropriately. In addition to
federal guidelines, training courses and on-line
resources for message providers could ensure more
effective message creation and dissemination during
disasters.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899