MORPC 05/12/11 May 12, 2011 Agency Brief to Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission Policy Committee 1

MORPC 05/12/11 CONTENTS: Crisis Action System levels EMWIN Outdoor Warning Sirens Siren activation policy Siren map Additional alert tools FCEM&HS Tornado Preparedness 2

MORPC 05/12/11 CAS Level Normal – Normal Day to Day Operations o Franklin County Assessment Room and EOC are readily available 24/7 CAS Level # 1 – Situation Awareness and Assessment o Assessment Room manned o Most Cases Primary and Backup Duty Officers CAS Level #2 – Increased Monitoring /County and City Agencies Providing Direct Assistance o FCEM&HS Staff EOC o Scalable Emergency Support Function Partners (ESF) staff EOC CAS Level #3 – City/County Resources with State and/or Federal Response Assistance o Full activation of the County EOC o Majority of ESF partners support/staff EOC o Support/Resources from State and Federal Partners Crisis Action System levels 3

MORPC 05/12/11 Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) 4 Through EMWIN, FCEM&HS has redundant 24 hour notification systems in place for all weather events in Franklin County. Information is sent to FCEM&HS Staff Blackberry cell phones. Four Notification Systems 1. Sentry Siren Advanced Warning Alert System -Direct weather feed from GOES 13 Satellite (NOAA/NWS) -Backup Internet failsafe automatic connection with NWS -Mapping tool on all FCEM&HS staff computers 2. iNWS System - and Text Notification from NWS through internet -Federal Government System (NWS) provided to FCEM&HS

MORPC 05/12/11 Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) (cont’d) 5 Notification Systems (cont’d) 3. interWARN -Direct weather feed from NWS through internet -Sends notifications to FCEM&HS Staff BlackBerry phones -visual display and identifies watch/warning areas by polygon layers 4. Ohio EMA Weather Notification Sytem - and Text Notification from NWS through internet -Ohio EMA System provided to FCEM&HS

MORPC 05/12/11 Outdoor Warning Sirens 6 Outdoor warning sirens will sound across Franklin County whenever the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the county. Sirens will sound for three minutes and be silent for 7 mins. Sequence will repeat as long as warning is in effect. Sirens warn people outside to seek shelter and tune to local TV and radio stations or a NOAA weather radio for more information. Sirens tested each Wednesday at noon in fair weather to make sure they are working properly. Sounded two times, (20 secs on, 40 secs off).

MORPC 05/12/11 FCEM&HS is continually in contact with the National Weather Service (NWS) Wilmington before, during, and after Severe Weather events affecting Franklin County FCEM&HS will activate the outdoor Warning sirens when the NWS initiates a Tornado Warning for Franklin County The outdoor warning sirens may also be activated at the discretion of the FCEM&HS Director All 172 outdoor warning sirens are activated regardless of geographic location in Franklin County The sirens will be deactivated/canceled after the Tornado Warning has been canceled for the entire Franklin County area – verified by FCEM&HS Staff. Siren Activation Policy 7

MORPC 05/12/11 Siren Location Map 8 KEY: Orange = Franklin County Outdoor Warning Sirens Blue = Possible new siren locations (Columbus) Green = Dublin outdoor warning sirens

MORPC 05/12/11 Emergency Alert System: a national public warning system made up of TV and radio broadcasting stations, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, and other audio and video service providers. NOAA Weather Radio: Weather alert radios broadcast round-the-clock weather reports/severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service. Twitter: We launched Twitter in May as a new, additional way to communicate with community about warnings, emergency protective actions, preparedness, and other pertinent alerts. Additional Alert Tools 9

MORPC 05/12/11 Questions/Discussion 10