About Us

Purpose | Mission | Vision for the Future 
Activities | Model | Bylaws | Brochure

Our History:

On November 29, 2001 leaders in disaster warnings and disaster information met at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA, to discuss the need for and possible formation of a public/private partnership to bring some coordination and direction to disaster warning programs. For those who were able to attend, we sincerely thank you for your effort and your ideas. This meeting was high energy and very productive. Peter Ward was asked to chair a transition committee to set up the organization. The committee agreed on the name "Partnership for Public Warning (PPW)". They agreed that the partnership will look at broader disaster information issues but would concentrate in the beginning on warnings.

In its continuing dedication to working in the public interest, MITRE is preserving the body of knowledge developed by the now-defunct Partnership for Public Warning. This information is of crucial importance to emergency managers, public safety officials, private industry, and to all private citizens.

• Proceedings
• Session Reports
• Keynote Address
• Presentation on Public/ Private Partnerships

The Certificate of Incorporation for the Partnership for Public Warning organization is available for download .

Our Purpose:

Bring together representatives of all the many and diverse stakeholders to work toward a resolution of national standards, protocols and priorities that will assure the right information is delivered in a timely manner to people at risk from disaster, be it natural or people induced, so that they are enabled to act knowledgeably to save lives, reduce losses and speed recovery.

Our Mission:

Promote and enhance efficient, effective, and integrated dissemination of public warnings and related information so as to save lives, reduce disaster losses and speed recovery.

Our Vision for the Future:

Most people at immediate risk from natural or manmade disasters obtain timely and accurate information about what is highly likely to happen or is happening via a wide variety of dissemination systems so that they can respond in ways that will mitigate their losses. Most dissemination systems have been developed by private industry as successful business ventures.

Our Activities:

1. Provide a forum for discussing, coordinating and developing an effective national infrastructure for distributing public warnings and information primarily to people at risk and to emergency responders.
2. Represent the needs of people at risk and emergency responders at all levels to all public and private organizations that can implement such a national infrastructure.
3. Implement programs that assist, advise and inform, as appropriate, federal, state and local government agencies, the private sector and academia on the most effective ways to issue public warnings and emergency information.
4. Encourage and facilitate cross-boundary cooperation among government agencies at all levels, private sector organizations and academia concerned with and/or responsible for dissemination of public warnings and information.
5. Address and help resolve sociological, political, economic, and legal issues affecting warning and emergency information systems.
6. Seek and employ standards, specifications, protocols, guidelines, and methods of certification for public warning and emergency information and provide support and assistance for others seeking to do the same.
7. Foster validation of concepts, prototypes, pilot projects, and marketing studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed standards and systems especially at the local level.
8. Educate decision makers and the general public on issues related to warnings and emergency information.
9. Foster international standards and cooperation in research, development and deployment of warning and emergency information systems.
10. Conduct, coordinate, support, and promote research and studies needed to carry out these activities.

Our Model:

We are impressed by the organization and effectiveness of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America and its role as a Utilized Federal Advisory Committee. We are building on their experience (see the Presentation on Public/ Private Partnerships given at the organizational conference held on 11/29/2001 by Craig Roberts).

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