HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08132013 - D.1RECOMMENDATION(S):
ACCEPT an oral report from the Emergency Services Division of the Sheriff's Office on recent activity of the
Community Warning System (CWS) in the Alamo and Richmond areas.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact. This report is informational only.
BACKGROUND:
On Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 at approximately 11:15 a.m. a gas leak was reported in Alamo. The Community
Warning System (CWS) was activated on behalf of law and fire personnel on the scene for the evacuation of several
neighborhoods of Alamo. The gas leak was repaired and a cancellation notification was sent to the affected area at
approximately 3:15 p.m. While all intended communication channels of the CWS were successfully activated, the
Cellular Messaging Alert System (CMAS) was also inadvertently activated due to a technical error on the part of
Alerting Solutions, Inc., the primary service provider of the CWS. This error has since been remedied.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
This is an informational report only.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 08/13/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
Contact: Heather Tiernan, CWS
Manager 925-313-9603
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes
of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: August 13, 2013
David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
D.1
To:Board of Supervisors
From:David O. Livingston, Sheriff-Coroner
Date:August 13, 2013
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:REPORT ON RECENT COMMUNITY WARNING SYSTEM (CWS) ACTIVITY
Contra Costa County Office of the SheriffThe Community Warning SystemA partnership of industry, government and the mediato warn and informour community in the event of an emergencyJuly 24th, 2013Alamo Evacuation Debrief
Community Warning System ToolsCWS Activation
Community Warning SystemThe problem that arose last year during the Richmond Chevron fire CWS activation and the one experienced during the most recent Alamo gas leak activation are not the same. The issue during the Chevron fire activation was the phone dialing vendor and the unacceptable amount of time it took to notify the affected area of the emergency via phone calls. The problem here was a technical error on the part of our primary vendorthat inadvertently activated the Cellular Mobile Alerting System (CMAS) sending vague messages to unaffected members of the county. This activation was in addition to the various tools that were intentionally and successfully used during the gas leak in Alamo.
What went wrong?CWS Activation
CMAS Message
Technical ErrorChannelBlock = IncorrectBLOCKCHANNEL = Correct
CMAS Activations• When CMAS is activated:• A message is automatically generated based on parameters in the CAP messages – CWS staff has very little ability to edit this message or include additional details• The message is sent to the wireless service providers that participate in the program • The message is then broadcasted out from cell phone towers throughout the county by each wireless service provider
Who gets a CMAS message?• Requirements to receive CMAS Message:• Service providers must broadcast the message• CMAS capable phone (many smart phones)• Emergency notifications turned “ON” • Cell phone reception at the time of the broadcast• Even if these requirements are all satisfied, there may still be inconsistencies in who receives the message
Richmond Gas Leak –Friday, July 26thWhy wasn’t CWS activated?
Contra Costa CountyOffice of the SheriffCommunity Warning SystemHeather TiernanEmergency Services Division50 Glacier DriveMartinez, California 94553(925) 313-9622
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
No impact.
ATTACHMENTS
Community Warning System Report - PowerPoint Presentation