Carpinteria City Council
June 9, 2025

population and vehicle statistics, critical evacuation facilities, pre-identified sheltering and traffic control points/road closures, and more.

Genasys PROTECT, the public-facing map accessed via
www.protect.genasys.com and the Genasys PROTECT mobile app. The County will also be hosting the map 24/7 on www.ReadySBC.org/emergency. Residents can view the map to identify any zones activated during emergencies and enter an address to determine if they are impacted. Residents can also view activated sheltering locations, traffic control points and road closures, and important links to access more information.

The Genasys EVAC platform is a non-technical, easy to use solution designed for public safety users. The system supports streamlined coordination and clear communication on protective action decisions with co-responding agencies, the Emergency Operations public. However, the Genasys EVAC platform
is NOT an alerting software; the County plans to continue sending ReadySBC Alerts through Everbridge, a mass notification software solution. Genasys EVAC complements emergency alerts by visually depicting the impacted areas during an emergency.

The County has worked closely with partner agencies, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff) and the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District (CSFPD), to prepare for implementation of the system.

Over the past nine months, the City of Carpinteria has actively participated in the zone development and data integration process, led by COEM. This collaborative effort prioritized creating accurate, data-informed emergency zones to support critical life safety decisions, such as evacuations, sheltering in place, and other protective actions. In Carpinteria, several GIS data layers were incorporated, along with identified evacuation and resource sites, critical facilities, pre-established traffic control points (based on historical data), and special consideration zones.

Key City and public safety leaders played a critical role in shaping the zones for the Carpinteria area. City Manager Michael Ramirez, Assistant City Manager Ryan Kintz, Fire Administrator Dave Baker with Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, and Chief Rich Brittingham with
based on historical emergency response data and subject matter expertise. Their leadership ensured that the zones reflected real-world considerations for all-hazard emergencies, law enforcement and fire agency response efforts, and community safety.

Internal users of the Genasys platform will include all eight cities within the County, the Carpinteria-Summerland and Montecito Fire Protection Districts, and key regional, state, and federal partners, such as Lompoc Federal Penitentiary, Los Padres National Forest, UC Santa Barbara, and Vandenberg Space Force Base. Numerous County departments and divisions including Fire, Sheriff, Animal Services, Public Health, and others have Authorization to Execute MOA with Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for ReadySBC Alerts and Genasys Emergency Zone Mapping System June 9, 2025

also contributed data and expertise. Additional support came from state agencies such as the California Highway Patrol and California State Parks.

Preparation and Training:

To prepare for implementation, COEM and its partners developed new activation protocols and hosted a series of multi-agency trainings and exercises. The City of Carpinteria was an active participant in these sessions. City Program Manager Juliza Briones, Chief Rich Brittingham, and Fire Administrator Dave Baker took part in several intensive training events organized by OEM, including:

May 21, 2025 Hands-On Genasys EVAC Training: A technical session providing direct practice with the platform.

May 27, 2025
Super Users to train additional internal agency staff, promoting consistent knowledge and operational readiness.

May 28, 2025 Multi-Jurisdictional Simulation Exercise: A scenario-based drill that walked participants through a full-scale local activation workflow identifying threats, selecting zones, issuing protective actions, and initiating activation of the public-facing map. The exercise strengthened interagency coordination and realtime decision-making.

These trainings have played a vital role in
operational launch and ensuring that emergency response personnel are equipped to act decisively and collaboratively during actual incidents. As Genasys EVAC becomes a core component of countywide emergency response and evacuation planning, the City of Carpinteria remains committed to maintaining high readiness and interagency coordination.

Public Outreach and Launch Planning:

As the platform nears public launch, extensive public education and media coordination are also underway. The City of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara County are preparing to officially launch Genasys EVAC on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. To prepare the public for this new communication tool and increase awareness, OEM is leading a countywide education and outreach campaign, which the City will support and amplify across all local communication channels.

Public outreach will include press releases, social media campaigns, newsletters, and other digital communications. These efforts will focus on how residents can access their emergency zones, where to find real-time emergency information, and how to sign up for ReadySBC Alerts.

Authorization to Execute MOA with Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for ReadySBC Alerts and Genasys Emergency Zone Mapping System June 9, 2025

While the Genasys EVAC platform interface is in English, incident-specific details will be manually entered onto the map in both English and Spanish. This dual-language standard is a core communication policy that all jurisdictions using Genasys EVAC have agreed to follow, ensuring that critical protective actions and emergency instructions are accessible to a broader segment of the community.

Later this year, OEM will coordinate with participating agencies, including the City of Carpinteria, to release additional public-facing resources such as public service announcements, and other preparedness tools to further strengthen community readiness.

DISCUSSION
The Genasys EVAC software will serve as a critical tool for coordinated emergency response and public communication across Santa Barbara County. It will be actively used by the COEM, Sheriff, and the CSFPD for managing and conveying decisions on protective actions. One of its key features is the ability to deliver real-time, public-facing interactive maps that clearly display evacuation zones and safety instructions.

All participating agencies will utilize Genasys EVAC to access decision-support data, coordinate operational efforts with co-responding partners, and issue timely and accurate protective actions. The platform enhances interagency coordination and provides a unified framework for emergency communication across jurisdictions.

The purpose of this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (Attachment A) is to define the roles and responsibilities of the City of Carpinteria and the County in the use of the usage restrictions, and the limitations of the product. Additionally, the MOA addresses the utilization of Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funds to cover the costs of the software for the next 3 years for all participating Santa Barbara County agencies. The MOA also provides information on potential future cost considerations should grant funding no longer be available, as well as other relevant administrative provisions to guide ongoing participation. This MOA references and is supported by the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy (Attachment B), which provides additional context and guidance regarding public alert protocols and procedures and is in the process of being updated to integrate Genasys EVAC emergency zone mapping policy concepts.

In addition to the mapping functions, the alerting components of the MOA provide significant operational and legal clarity. These include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for issuing alerts, legal and regulatory requirements, procedures for requesting support from the County, and a framework for understanding liability protections and administrative oversight. Together, these components ensure that the City is aligned with countywide standards and equipped to participate confidently in coordinated public alerting and protective action efforts. It is important to note that the Authorization to Execute MOA with Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for ReadySBC Alerts and Genasys Emergency Zone Mapping System June 9, 2025

County has been supporting emergency alerting for the City of Carpinteria for the past 10 years without a formal agreement in place.
ongoing commitment to providing emergency alert support upon request, and the City of The COEM acts as the designated alerting authority on behalf of the County and all incorporated cities, including the City of Carpinteria. In this role, COEM is responsible for the oversight and management of the ReadySBC Alerts system (powered by Everbridge) and its associated infrastructure, including:

Managing users, permissions, and system training
Developing and updating all alert and warning policies, protocols, and standard operating procedures
Coordinating pre-scripted and pre-translated alert messages in multiple languages responsibility for issuing emergency alerts
This structure ensures consistency, compliance with legal requirements, and operational efficiency across jurisdictions during emergencies.

Participating agencies expected to sign an MOA include the cities of Buellton, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Solvang; the CarpinteriaSummerland Fire Protection District and Montecito Fire Protection District; the Santa Barbara
Lompoc Federal Penitentiary; and Vandenberg Space Force Base. Additional agencies, such as California State Parks, may choose to access the system at a later date and can execute their own MOAs to join the network when ready.

By entering into this agreement, the City ensures alignment with regional emergency management protocols and maintains access to a countywide platform that supports enhanced decision-making, interagency coordination, and public safety communication during critical incidents.

POLICY CONSISTENCY
The implementation of the Genasys EVAC emergency zone mapping platform aligns with both broader emergency management and public
Operations Plan, the -Jurisdictional Hazard
Mitigation Plan, and related public safety initiatives focused on enhancing interagency coordination, improving emergency communication, and increasing community preparedness and resilience.
commitment to equitable emergency communication, including language access, and Authorization to Execute MOA with Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for ReadySBC Alerts and Genasys Emergency Zone Mapping System June 9, 2025

compliance with federal and state grant requirements under the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP).

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
This Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) currently has no direct fiscal impact on the City of Carpinteria. The Genasys EVAC software is funded through the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) for the current fiscal years, extending through 2027-28.

Should FEMA withdraw existing funding or if future grant funding becomes unavailable, COEM, in collaboration with all participating jurisdictions across the County, will evaluate alternative funding options. Any proposed funding strategies will be brought to the City Council for review and direction before any financial commitments are made.

The MOA includes terms and conditions that allow the City to terminate its use of and participation in the Genasys EVAC system in the event that sustainable funding cannot be secured in future years.

OPTIONS

1. Authorize the City Manager to execute the Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Carpinteria and the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management concerning the activation of the ReadySBC Alerts system and the Genasys EVAC Emergency Zone Mapping Solution.

2. Request modifications to the proposed Memorandum of Agreement and authorize the City Manager to execute the revised agreement with the approved changes.

3. Decline to approve the Memorandum of Agreement and direct staff to explore alternative methods for emergency alerting and evacuation zone mapping for the City of Carpinteria.

PRINCIPAL PARTIES EXPECTED AT MEETING
Yaneris Muñiz, County of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management

ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution
Attachment B: County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy Authorization to Execute MOA with Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for ReadySBC Alerts and Genasys Emergency Zone Mapping System June 9, 2025

Staff contact: Juliza Briones, Program Manager
(805) 755-4401, [email protected]
Signature
Reviewed by: Ryan Kintz, Assistant City Manager
(805) 755-4400, [email protected]
Signature
Reviewed by: Michael Ramirez, City Manager
(805) 755-4450, [email protected] Signature

ATTACHMENT A
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AND

CITY OF CARPINTERIA

REGARDING ACTIVATION OF THE READYSBC ALERTS SYSTEM AND ACCESS TO

AND USE OF EMERGENCY ZONE MAPPING SOLUTION
THIS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (hereafter Agreement ) is made by and between the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, with an address at 4408 Cathedral Oaks Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110 (hereafter SBC OEM ), and City of Carpinteria, with an address at 5775 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013, wherein SBC OEM and CITY OF CARPINTERIA agree:

WHEREAS, the purpose of this Agreement is to set forth the terms and conditions for 1) activation processes of the powered by Everbridge and
2) access to and use of emergency zone mapping solution powered by Genasys EVAC EVAC ; and
WHEREAS, the County ReadySBC Alerts system allows for rapid dissemination of public alerts during emergencies and includes the following delivery methods: email; text message; voice phone calls; TTY/TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing; Nixle text message WHEREAS, Genasys EVAC features 1) local, state, and federal sourced decision support data via a map-based platform to aid public safety agencies during emergencies, 2) preidentified emergency zones that support streamlined protective actions decisions, such as evacuations and sheltering in place, and 3) a public-facing emergency zones map accessed via an online browser and mobile app; and
WHEREAS, SBC OEM is the Santa Barbara County Operational Area (SBC OA) emergency alerting authority and is responsible for overseeing local emergency alerting policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintaining alerting software and hardware, training a
staff, disseminates alerts to inform the public of imminent or occurring hazards and necessary protective actions; and
WHEREAS, SBC OEM is the implementation and administrative agency of Genasys EVAC.

SBC OEM is responsible for system and data management, contract management, development and maintenance of policies and SOPs, monitoring of appropriate use, and granting access to authorized public safety agencies and jurisdictions within the Santa Barbara SBC OA; and
WHEREAS, SBC OA cities, special districts, and other agencies charged with public health and safety responsibilities may request activation of the County ReadySBC Alerts system when a hazard or incident poses a threat to the community and protective actions are necessary to protect life and property; and
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

WHEREAS, agencies
of Genasys EVAC to facilitate internal and multi-jurisdictional, all-hazards protective action decision-making and convey those decisions to public safety partners, emergency alert originators, and the public; and
WHEREAS, CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes Genasys EVAC is intended to enhance capabilities to quickly and effectively convey protective action decisions to co-responders and the public, and is not intended to replace or address gaps in planning efforts; and WHEREAS, CITY OF CARPINTERIA seeks to establish an agreement with SBC OEM in the event CITY OF CARPINTERIA wishes to activate the County ReadySBC Alerts system, and to directly access and utilize Genasys EVAC; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and conditions contained herein, the parties agree as follows:

1. RECITALS. The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated here by this reference.

2. DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE. Kelly Hubbard, Director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (phone number (805) 681-5524), is the representative of SBC OEM and will administer this Agreement for and on behalf of SBC OEM and the SBC OA. Michael Ramirez (phone number (805) 755-4450), City Manager is the authorized representative for CITY OF CARPINTERIA. Changes in designated representatives shall be made with advance written notice to the other party and does not require amendments to this Agreement.

3. NOTICES. Any notice or consent required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be given to the respective parties in writing, by personal delivery or email, or with postage prepaid by first class mail, registered or certified mail, or express courier service, as follows:

To SBC OEM:

Kelly Hubbard, Director
Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
4408 Cathedral Oaks Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Email: [email protected]
To CITY OF CARPINTERIA:

Michael Ramirez, City Manager
City of Carpinteria
5775 Carpinteria Avenue
Carpinteria CA, 93013
Email: [email protected]
or at such other address or to such other person that the parties may from time to time designate in accordance with this Notices section. If sent by first class mail, notices and consents under this section shall be deemed to be received five (5) days following their deposit in the U.S. mail. This Notices section shall not be construed as meaning that either party agrees to service of process except as required by applicable law.

Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

4. TERM AND AMENDMENTS. This Agreement is effective on the date of the last signature and shall remain in place until either party wishes to revise it or terminate it.

Either party may terminate the Agreement in part or in whole for any reason with a 90- day written notification to the other party. Where applicable, the informing party must specify if the Agreement termination is related to County ReadySBC Alerts activation, internal user access to the Genasys EVAC system, or both. Any significant revisions to this Agreement will be communicated and coordinated between the designated representatives and result in a newly signed Agreement or amendments.

A. If CITY OF
CARPINTERIA decides to terminate this Agreement, a written notification must be received by SBC OEM at least 90 days in advance of the intent to terminate.

Termination of this Agreement may include but is not limited to, 1) the intent to no longer request activation of the County ReadySBC Alerts system and/or 2) no longer utilizing Genasys EVAC for protective action decision-making and public mapping purposes.
i. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will be responsible for any potential costs associated with transferring the , if requested by
CITY OF CARPINTERIA.
ii. At the time of written notification for termination, CITY OF CARPINTERIA must also indicate if they will continue utilizing the pre-identified emergency zones and move this data into another map-based platform or will rescind their pre-identified emergency zones.
iii. If termination includes no longer using the Genasys EVAC system, CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to allow their zone (if zones will remain the same in another platform) and jurisdictional data to remain within Genasys EVAC system. This information will be utilized by the County and partner agencies to support CITY OF CARPINTERIA alert requests, mutual aid concepts, and situational awareness only. County agrees to remove zones and data from Genasys public-facing maps.
iv. If the decision to terminate this Agreement includes rescinding preidentified emergency zones for a City with County contracted public safety services, CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to consult and reach a consensus with County Fire and/or on this
decision and any alternatives
contractual stipulations with the city on adequate pre-planning, protocols, and response tools in order to fulfill public safety duties, including those related to emergency and disaster response efforts.
v. CITY OF CARPINTERIA must also issue a public statement notifying residents and stakeholders of the intent to terminate use of the County ReadySBC Alerts system and/or Genasys EVAC platform as soon as possible and within 30 days of the Agreement termination date.

Notifications shall include where to find emergency zone information, how to receive local alerts from that agency, and considerations for that agency during an emergency.
vi. These Agreement clauses do not apply in the event the County terminates its contract with Genasys and transitions all emergency zones and data to another platform.

B. If the County terminates the use of Genasys EVAC or Genasys EVAC Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

agreement expires and is not renewed:
i. SBC OEM
formal recommendations for contract termination or planning upon expiration and non-renewal of the Genasys EVAC agreement. These County departments may consult with CITY OF CARPINTERIA and other impacted agencies prior to making any formal recommendations, but the County retains all rights to make final contract termination decisions. ii. In the event of a contract termination or non-renewal decision, CITY OF CARPINTERIA will be informed in writing and provided initial transition timelines. All attempts will be made to provide as much transition time as possible. SBC OEM will facilitate meetings with CITY OF CARPINTERIA and other impacted partners to discuss data and records transfer, coordinated public and stakeholder notification, and any modifications to alerting and mapping software or workflows.
iii. The County may offer to coordinate and provide access to an alternative countywide map-based emergency zone mapping and/or public information software solution and establish a new MOA with CITY OF CARPINTERIA. However, the County is not required to provide an alternative software solution. If the County does not offer an alternative software solution, CITY OF CARPINTERIA understands it is responsible for pursuing their own data, mapping, and public information solutions at their discretion.

5. AGENCY/JURISDICTION RESPONSIBILITIES ATTESTATION. Attachment A of this Agreement requires the signatory for CITY OF CARPINTERIA to attest to and comply with Agency/Jurisdiction core responsibilities that are critical to countywide unity, standardization, and successful coordination on alerting concepts and the Genasys EVAC system. 6. COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING POLICY. CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to abide by the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy when requesting alerts be sent on their behalf through the ReadySBC Alerts system, as well as access and authorized use guidelines for Genasys EVAC. SBC OEM coordinates updates to this policy on an annual basis or as needed and will distribute updated versions to stakeholders. The policy includes but is not limited to:

A. Accessing decision-support data, GIS layers, and hazard simulation features within the Genasys EVAC internal user platform;
B. Coordinating protective action decision consensus with co-responding agencies and jurisdictions, including any contract Cities;
C. Confirming verbal and/or written approval from decision-makers (i.e., field Incident Commander, Risk Decision Teams);
D. Submitting a request for activation of the ReadySBC Alerts system (including any Wireless Emergency Alerts), and general processes for activation of the public- Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

facing emergency zones map based on County, City, special district, and key partner agency protocols;
E. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will be responsible for publishing any incident specific sheltering locations, traffic control points, road closures, or other emergency information as appropriate on the Genasys EVAC public-facing emergency zones map.

F. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will be responsible for initiating and analyzing any hazard simulation features and data in Genasys EVAC in accordance with their emergency response protocols.

Additionally, CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes that Genasys EVAC is not an emergency alerting tool. -facing emergency zone map is intended to visually support emergency alerts. Therefore, the utilization of Genasys EVAC requires all cooperating agencies to still take separate action to address emergency alerting and public notification, including working closely with County Sheriff Dispatch and SBC OEM to coordinate primary emergency alerting processes when needed.

7. AB 1638 REQUIREMENTS AND PRE-SCRIPTED BILINGUAL ALERT AND WARNING MESSAGES. CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes and is familiar with California Assembly Bill (AB) 1638 requirements for providing timely, accurate, and accessible emergency information to all residents in English and any other locally prevalent non-English languages. Per the American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2019-2023), all jurisdictions within Santa Barbara County meet the 5% population threshold for Spanish speakers . Therefore,
agencies/jurisdiction are required to provide emergency information in at minimum English and Spanish to comply with AB 1638. Agencies are required to review language requirements every 5 years. To this end, CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to utilize SBC OEM provided pre-scripted bilingual English/Spanish alert and warning messages when activation of the ReadySBC Alerts system is requested. The prescripted messages may also be utilized for other incident communications such as social media, websites, etc. Additionally, Agencies will utilize identical bi or multilingual messages within Genasys EVAC. CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes these scripts have been vetted for compliance with federal Code of Regulation requirements, California State Alert and Warning guidance, and best practices. Ultimately, compliance with AB 1638 is the responsibility of XXXXXX.

A. In the event CITY OF CARPINTERIA identifies other non-English speaking communities that make up 5% or more of their jurisdiction or service territory population (e.g., Mixteco speakers), CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for coordinating and providing translated emergency alerting language and messaging to SBC OEM
emergency mapping purposes.

B. In the event CITY OF CARPINTERIA has an incident that falls outside of the SBC OEM pre-scripted alert and warning messages, that agency is responsible for coordinating and providing multilingual (English and Spanish required, as well as other languages as identified in 8.A.) alerting language and messaging to SBC OEM
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

purposes. C. CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes that any time it can pre-identify additional languages and/or additional incidents -scripted alert
and warning messages in which they can provide 8.A. and/or 8.B. in advance can significantly increase the speed of which alerts can be sent to the public.

8. UNIFIED PUBLIC EDUCATION
A. CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes the importance of collaborative public education and information efforts to reach all segments of the community with a unified message. CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to promote ReadySBC Alerts and emergency zone mapping solution, respectively.

B. CITY OF CARPINTERIA agrees to coordinate with SBC OEM on utilization of approved key messages, public education assets, website content and materials that are consistent with ReadySBC branding guidelines.

C. SBC OEM agrees to host the Genasys EVAC public-facing emergency zones map 24/7/365 www.ReadySBC.org website. Additionally,
Agencies can embed or post a link to the emergency zones map on their own website. During an incident, Agencies can:
i. Direct residents to access the map by navigating to www.ReadySBC.org.

However, CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for contacting the SBC OEM Duty Officer to request posting of active incident specific information on www.ReadySBC.org in accordance with the County Public Alert and Warning policy; or
ii. Embed or post a link to the emergency zones map on their own website and direct residents to access the map and incident specific information only on their site.

9. ASSOCIATED COSTS.

A. The Everbridge software powering the ReadySBC Alerts system is currently funded by . There is no associated cost to CITY OF
CARPINTERIA with requesting emergency alert notifications from the County. i. Should funding be cancelled, or not approved for future years, the County may request a cost share with participating agencies or may choose to cancel the program.

B. The Genasys EVAC software-as-a-service is currently funded for 4 years (FY 24/25 through FY 27/28) through the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). i. Should Homeland Security Grant funding be cancelled, or not approved for future years, the County may request a cost share with participating agencies or may choose to cancel the program.

C.
maintaining the requirements and responsibilities stated within this Agreement are the responsibility of each respective party. Should there be associated costs Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

related to third-party software enhancements, data coordination, etc., the parties agree to discuss potential mutual benefits and the possibility of a cost-share agreement.

D. Should funding considerations change, SBC OEM will work with participating agencies to amend this agreement, and terms as discussed and agreed to at that time.

10. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE. In lieu of and notwithstanding the pro rata risk allocation which might otherwise be imposed between the parties pursuant to California Government Code Section 895.6, the parties agree that all losses or liabilities incurred by a party shall not be shared pro rata but instead all parties agree that pursuant to California Government Code Section 895.4, each of the parties hereto shall fully indemnify and hold each of the other parties, their officers, board members, employees and agents, harmless from any claim, expense or cost, damage or liability imposed for injury (as defined by California Government Code Section 810.8) occurring by reason of the negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct of the indemnifying party, its officers, board members, employees or agents, under or in connection with or arising out of any work, authority or jurisdiction delegated to such party under this Agreement. No party, nor any officer, board member, employee or agent thereof shall be responsible for any damage or liability occurring by reason of the negligent acts or omissions or willful misconduct of other parties hereto, their officers, board members, employees or agents, under or in connection with or arising out of any work, authority or jurisdiction delegated to such other parties under this Agreement.

Each party shall maintain its own insurance coverage, through commercial insurance, self-insurance or a combination thereof, against any claim, expense, cost, damage, or liability arising out of the performance of its responsibilities pursuant to this Agreement.

11. NON-ASSIGNMENT. The parties shall not assign, transfer or subcontract this Agreement or any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party, and any attempt to so assign, subcontract or transfer without such consent shall be void and without legal effect and shall constitute grounds for termination.

12. SECTION HEADINGS. The headings of several sections and any Table of Contents appended hereto, shall be solely for convenience of reference and shall not affect the meaning, construction or effect hereof.

13. SEVERABILITY. If any one or more of the provisions contained herein shall for any reason be found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, then such provision or provisions shall be deemed severable from the remaining provisions hereof, and such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision hereof, and this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.

14. ENTIRE AGREEMENT AND AMENDMENT. In conjunction with the matters considered herein, this Agreement contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties and there have been no promises, representations, agreements, warranties or undertakings by any of the parties, either oral or written, of any character or nature hereafter binding except as set forth herein. This Agreement may be altered, amended Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

or modified only by an instrument in writing, executed by the parties to this Agreement and by no other means. Each party waives their future right to claim, contest or assert that this Agreement was modified, canceled, superseded, or changed by any oral agreements, course of conduct, waiver or estoppel.

15. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. All representations, covenants and warranties set forth in this Agreement, by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of any or all of the parties hereto, shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of such party, its successors, and assigns.

16. COMPLIANCE WITH LAW. Each party shall, at its sole cost and expense, comply with all County, State and Federal ordinances and statutes now in force or which may hereafter be in force with regard to this Agreement.

17. CALIFORNIA LAW AND JURISDICTION. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. Any litigation regarding this Agreement or its contents shall be filed in the County of Santa Barbara, if in state court, or the federal district court nearest to Santa Barbara County, if in federal court.

18. EXECUTION OF COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original; and all such counterparts, or as many of them as the parties shall preserve undestroyed, shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

19. AUTHORITY. All signatories and parties to this Agreement warrant and represent that they have the power and authority to enter into this Agreement in the names, titles and capacities herein stated and on behalf of any entities, persons, or firms represented or purported to be represented by such entity(ies), person(s), or firm(s) and that all formal requirements necessary or required by any state and/or federal law in order to enter into this Agreement have been fully complied with.

20. SURVIVAL. All provisions of this Agreement which by their nature are intended to survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement shall survive such termination or expiration.
(Signatures on following page.)
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

Memorandum of Agreement between the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and the CITY OF CARPINTERIA.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement to be effective on the last date of signature below.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY OFFICE
OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

CITY OF CARPINTERIA:

By: By:

Kelly Hubbard
SBC OEM Director
Michael Ramirez
City Manager
Date: Date:

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Gregory Milligan
Risk Management
By:

Risk Manager
Date:

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Rachel Van Mullem
County Counsel
By:

Deputy County Counsel
Date:

Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

Attachment A
City of Carpinteria Responsibilities Attestation
General Requirements

1. Use of California Standard Statewide Evacuation Terminology City of Carpinteria is responsible for utilizing
Emergency Services (CalOES) standardized emergency terminology and definitions (per CalOES Memo dated 5/15/2020) for evacuation and other protective action communications, ensuring consistency and clarity in emergency messaging across agencies and jurisdictions.

Initials: ___________ 2. Assigned Point of Contact (POC) CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for assigning a designated Point of Contact that will coordinate with the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator on user access, data management, training and exercise activities, and more. The POC will be CITY OF

CARPINTERIA
and responsible for actively coordinating and communicating with the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator on a continuous basis. If the POC changes, CITY OF CARPINTERIA will notify the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator within 3 days.

Initials: ___________ 3. Participation in County User Group For purposes of ongoing administration, coordination, and continuous improvement, an Alerting and Emergency Zone Mapping User Group will be maintained and led by the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator. The Assigned POC will participate in the User Group as a standing member with authority to represent CITY OF CARPINTERIA on needs and issues related to alerting and emergency zone mapping systems. The User Group shall meet on a quarterly basis or more often as needed to coordinate ongoing administration, after-action activities, training, public outreach, any modifications to this Agreement, processes, guidelines and job aids.

Initials: ___________ Data and Technological Management and Security

4. Local Data Management
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for maintaining and updating decisionsupport data specific to their jurisdictional emergency zones within the Genasys EVAC system. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will review their data and make any necessary changes at minimum every 2 years, to reflect the development of new infrastructure and homes, and following major emergencies as needed. SBC OEM Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

will provide support and coordination for maintaining and updating data that is applicable countywide. Types of data including but not limited to:

Pre-identified evacuation critical facilities
Critical infrastructure (e.g., shelters, hospitals)
Traffic control points
ZoneNew residential or commercial development considerations Initials: ___________

5. Technological Management
Technological evaluation of the Genasys EVAC solution by County IT was conducted during the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to determine compatibility with the technological posture to mitigate cybersecurity and privacy risks. However, CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for conducting due diligence to determine if the Genasys EVAC solution is compatible with their existing technological environment.

CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for coordinating with its IT personnel to gather user account information, identify permission and role controls, and support County required security measures (i.e. password controls).

Initials: ___________

6. Data Integrity and Security
CITY OF CARPINTERIA recognizes that the County of Santa Barbara instance of the Genasys EVAC system is populated with hyper-local data that includes the locations of critical facilities and vulnerable populations. This includes sensitive locations that are not publicly disclosed for safety and security purposes, such as shelters for domestic violence and human trafficking survivors. No personally identifiable information (PII) will be stored within Genasys EVAC. CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for taking reasonable measures to protect the security of the Genasys EVAC system and any data accessed or inputted into the system.

This includes preventing unauthorized access, data loss, or alteration.

Initials: ___________

7. Procurement and Maintenance of Hardware and Devices
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for maintaining the necessary hardware and devices required by CITY OF CARPINTERIA to utilize the Genasys EVAC system, including computers, mobile devices, and any associated equipment needed for operational use.

Initials: ___________
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

8. Security Breach Reporting
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is required to report to the County POC any suspected or known security breaches to hardware with user accounts or to user accounts as soon as possible, and no later than 24 hours. XXXXXX agrees to cooperate with the County on any follow-up steps to ensure security is maintained.

Initials: ___________
Management & Users of System

9. Genasys EVAC Internal User Role Permissions
CITY OF CARPINTERIA will be granted access to use the following internal user role permission options in the Genasys EVAC system. s
Assigned POC is responsible for assigning role permissions to their internal users based on internal policies and protocols for the coordination and execution of emergency protective actions within their jurisdiction.

Viewer: o View all zones and zone-specific data. o View critical evacuation facilities; sheltering, traffic control, road closure locations; and wildfire-related monitoring tools (e.g., Red Flag Warning area, heat detection data). o View and download PDF zone pre-plans. o View available custom layers integrated by Santa Barbara County users. o NOTE: Viewers cannot modify any zone data, split/merge zones, or make any information visible in the public-facing emergency zone map.

Editor: All Viewer permissions plus: o Use the Internal Status Notification feature to internally change the status of a zone. This feature sends an internal email notification to agency leads and designated alerters with the requested zone changes. o Split and merge any pre-existing zones. o Modify zone-based data, critical evacuation facilities data, shelter, traffic control, and road closure data. o Make sheltering, traffic control point, and road closure locations visible in the public-facing emergency zone map. o Add custom layers and make them visible to all Santa Barbara County users. o NOTE: Editors will be able to split/merge zones and modify data in the system for all of Santa Barbara County. There is not currently a way to restrict access by jurisdiction, but Editors are only authorized to make changes within their jurisdiction.

Editor+Alerter: All Viewer and Editor permissions plus: o Can make zone status changes directly visible in the public-facing emergency zones map.

Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

o Making zone status changes visible in the public-facing emergency zones map DOES NOT result in automatic dissemination of public emergency alerts. o NOTE: Editors+Alerters will be able to change public-facing zone status in the system for all of Santa Barbara County. There is not currently a way to restrict access by jurisdiction, but Editors+Alerters are only authorized to make changes within their jurisdiction.

Initials: ___________

10. Data Changes Made by Agency Internal Users
CITY OF CARPINTERIA acknowledges that internal users will be able to view data inputted by all other Santa Barbara County agencies and jurisdictions utilizing Genasys EVAC. Based on their role permissions, Editors and Editor+Alerters will have the ability to make data changes, submit Internal Status Notifications, or make zone status changes live on the public-facing emergency zones map for all Santa Barbara County zones. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will ensure that their internal users:

Do not make changes to areas outside their own jurisdiction data and zones unless specifically requested by the outside jurisdiction, such as during an incident when in Unified Command.

Do not make changes to CITY OF CARPINTERIA outside of
CITY
OF CARPINTERIA and/or CITY OF CARPINTERIA Genasys
EVAC POC.

If they make any temporary changes to CITY OF CARPINTERIA zones in the course of an emergency, internal users are responsible for restoring the data and zones to original settings.

Initials: ___________ 11. Management of Internal Users
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for managing its own internal users within the Genasys EVAC system, including:

Maintaining a roster of current internal users and their role permissions.

Coordinating with the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator to add and remove internal users and update role permissions for internal users. o This includes timely notification to terminate internal user access as needed. Timely notification means advance notification of the internal 24 hours after a o If there are any concerns about potential unauthorized or inappropriate access and use by a current internal user, CITY OF CARPINTERIA will account be disabled.

Assigning appropriate roles based on internal user responsibilities and functions.

Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

Providing any technological devices or internet service capabilities to internal users in order to access the Genasys EVAC when performing duties in the field or assigned work locations.

Ensuring its internal users sign a County-provided User Agreement and complete the required training prior to access to the system.

Ensuring its internal users are authorized to use Genasys EVAC on behalf of CITY OF CARPINTERIA in accordance with assigned duties.

Initials: ___________ 12. Agency Policy and Job Aids
CITY OF CARPINTERIA will create agency-specific internal policies, job aids, SOPs, or supporting documents on alerting coordination and Genasys EVAC utilization addresses the following minimum element:

Agency personnel positions that will have access to the Genasys EVAC and at what role permission
Agency personnel positions that are authorized to request activation of the ReadySBC Alerts system (or their own alert system)
Protocols for protective action decision-making
Who is the authority to approve protective actions
English and non-English languages information will be disseminated in accordance with AB 1638 requirements and/or established agency language accessibility policies and plans.

Agency-specific documents will be consistent with the County Alert and Warning Policy, SBC OEM will provide job aid templates and other support resources as developed. SBC OEM provided job aids address step-by-step instructions for requesting activation of the ReadySBC Alerts system and utilizing Genasys EVAC.

CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for distributing printed and digital copies of the most current job aids to agency personnel. SBC OEM will provide final digital copies via a shared web-based file system that can be accessed by the POC and designated CITY OF CARPINTERIA representatives only. CITY OF CARPINTERIA will coordinate with the SBC OEM Alerting Administrator on any updates to job aids periodically and as needed.

Initials: ___________ 13. Training Requirements
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for managing and tracking internal user completion of required training, including but not limited to:

System navigation,
Data entry and preservation protocols,
Security and safety considerations for the system,
User roles and responsibilities, as well as capabilities, Activation and management of emergency alerts and emergency zone map changes.

Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

Initial hands-on training and super user training will be provided by Genasys and SBC OEM as part of implementation. Following implementation, CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for providing hands-on training to new users, refreshers to existing users, and ensuring their internal users understand their role and responsibilities within the Genasys EVAC system and requesting processes for ReadySBC Alerts. These training courses will be in alignment with SBC OEM provided training materials and policies. SBC OEM may elect to provide additional hands-on training on a periodic basis to CITY OF CARPINTERIA and other county agencies and jurisdictions.

Initials: ___________

14. Genasys Internal User Agreements
CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for collecting and managing signed Genasys Internal User Agreement from all internal users. This document is an acknowledgement of their responsibilities regarding the use of the system and compliance with all applicable policies. The County will provide an online file repository for CITY OF CARPINTERIA to store and organize completed Genasys Internal User Agreements. Any internal users who violate this agreement will immediately have their access disabled by the SBC OEM.

Initials: ___________ 15. Requesting ReadySBC Alerts and Publishing Zone Status Changes, Shelter Locations, and Traffic Control Points on Public-Facing Genasys Emergency Zones Map
CITY OF CARPINTERIA retains all responsibility to determine protective actions and to inform their residents appropriately within agreed upon protocols and policies, including how Genasys is utilized for this purpose and coordination of emergency alerts with the County.

CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for publishing any incident specific sheltering locations, traffic control points, and road closures directly on the public-facing emergency zones map.

CITY OF CARPINTERIA is responsible for initiating and analyzing any hazard simulation features and data in Genasys EVAC in accordance with their emergency response protocols.

Initials: ___________ By signing below, the signatory for CITY OF CARPINTERIA acknowledges and agrees to the responsibilities set forth in the Attachment A Attestation:

Full Name: ___________________________
Memorandum of Agreement between Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management and City of Carpinteria Regarding Activation of the ReadySBC Alerts System and Access to and Use of Emergency Zone Mapping Solution

Signature: ____________________________
Date: ________________________________

ATTACHMENT B
County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Revised 9.8.23
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 1 of 29 Table of Contents
PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 SCOPE .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (ENS)............................................................................................................ 4 ReadySBC Alerts ........................................................................................................................................................4 Nixle ..........................................................................................................................................................................5 IPAWS, WEA and EAS ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan .......................................................................................................................... 7 ReadySBC.org and Social Media Channels ................................................................................................................ 7 Contact Information Sources and Confidentiality ..................................................................................................... 9 ENS Appropriate Use ............................................................................................................................................... 10 NOTIFICATION RESPONSIBILITIES......................................................................................................................... 11 New Tier 3 Incidents (Highest Urgency) .................................................................................................................. 11 Ongoing/Advance Warning Tier 3 Incidents ........................................................................................................... 12 Tier 1 and 2 (Low to Moderate Threat) Alerts......................................................................................................... 12 REQUIRED MESSAGE ELEMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 13 Pre-Scripted Message Coordination ........................................................................................................................ 13 ENS ACCESS AND COORDINATION FOR OPERATIONAL AREA PARTNERS .............................................................. 14 ENS ACTIVATION PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................. 14 Limitations of Alerting Methods .............................................................................................................................16 Public Emergency Notification Matrix...................................................................................................................17 Alerting in English and Spanish ............................................................................................................................... 18 ADDITIONAL ALERTING CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................................................... 18 Update and Cancellation Messages ........................................................................................................................ 18 ENS Appropriate Use for Police Activity .................................................................................................................. 19 Diablo Canyon Power Plant Emergency Classification Levels (ECL) ........................................................................ 19 Ensuring Notification to Entire Community ............................................................................................................ 19 AUTHORIZED USERS ............................................................................................................................................. 20 ORIENTATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................... 21 Alert Originator Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 21 Practitioner Requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 21 County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 2 of 29 ONGOING TRAINING, TESTING AND EXERCISE ..................................................................................................... 22 EAS Testing .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 WEA Testing ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 IPAWS Message Viewer .......................................................................................................................................... 23 Annual Community Awareness Test ....................................................................................................................... 23 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS............................................................................................................................. 23 AUTHORITY.......................................................................................................................................................... 26 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 ATTACHMENTS .................................................................................................................................................... 27 County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 3 of 29

PURPOSE
To set a joint County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy between the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center (ECC) on public alert and warning processes, best practices, and tools in accordance with local ordinances and operational plans, the State of California Alert and Warning Guidelines, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Memorandum of Agreement, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, and other applicable state and federal regulations.

The County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy also sets guidance for the Santa Barbara County Operational Area (SBCOA) – including cities, special districts, emergency response agencies, and other agencies with public health and safety responsibilities – on appropriate use, access and coordination of alerts and warnings for specific populations, or within their jurisdiction. Alerts and warnings are intended to provide the public notification of imminent or occurring hazards and the protective actions to take before, during and after an emergency.

This document does not provide step-by-step instructions on how to utilize mass notification tools to send emergency alerts. Please refer to joint OEM and ECC job aids for specific instructions.

SCOPE
The ECC and OEM are committed to working seamlessly to alert and warn the public of hazards and threats. The County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy outlines the County’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) program and the administration and management of this program, including but not limited to:

Notification methods and tools and their appropriate application; Which agencies and personnel can activate the ENS, notification responsibilities, and expected coordination between the County and SBCOA partner agencies; Message element requirements per guidelines and regulations; Tier-based notification framework that guides alert originators on selecting appropriate notification delivery methods based on incident type and severity, size of the area impacted, amongst other factors;
Circumstances and conditions in which accessing and utilizing the ENS does not align with best practices, or is a violation of local, state and federal policies and regulations; Training requirements for alert originators; and
Proper management and utilization of community member contact data.

This policy is an extension of and supports the most current iteration of the Santa Barbara County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). All aspects of the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy complement any ENS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established between the County and a SBCOA partner agency to access the County’s ReadySBC Alerts emergency notification program and contact database.

This policy shall be effective upon the approval of the Santa Barbara County Director of Emergency Management and the County Undersheriff. Review of the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy will occur on an annual basis and updated as needed to reflect changes in local policies, processes, and/or state and federal guidance and regulations. Any modifications to the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy will be completed jointly between the ECC and the OEM and with input from SBCOA partner agencies.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 4 of 29

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (ENS)
ReadySBC Alerts
The County utilizes various notification channels to disseminate alerts and information to reach as many community members as possible prior to, during, and after an emergency. Collectively, these channels are referred to as the Emergency Notification System (ENS) and publicly branded as ReadySBC Alerts (formerly Aware and Prepare Alerts). Notifications are primarily disseminated using Everbridge, a web-based mass notification software solution that supports alerting through multiple channels, including the following:

Short Message Service (SMS) text messages;
Email;
Phone calls to business and residential landlines, cell phones and VoIP (Voice over Internet) phones;
TTY/TDD (for the deaf and hearing impaired);
Nixle text messages and emails (referred to as “Community Engagement” by Everbridge); Social media (Facebook and Twitter);
FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) tools:
o Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs); and
o Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages.

Within Everbridge, emergency notifications can
be geographically targeted to impacted
populations. Alert originators draw custom
polygon “geo-fences” or use pre-established
shape files or maps to send notifications to
precise areas of concern. SMS text messages
are received from the short code text number
88911, and are received as a single text
message in newer model mobile phones and
multiple, separate messages in some older
model phones.

Emails list the sender as “ReadySBC Alerts”
and may contain links for additional information
and images. Phone call notifications can be
delivered as a manually recorded voice
message or a “text-to-speech” message that
converts entered text into an audio file.

TTY/TDD refers to text-based telecommunications equipment used by individuals who are deaf and hearing impaired in order to receive phone calls. When registering for ReadySBC Alerts, residents can select to receive notifications via TTY/TDD.

The phone number for all ReadySBC Alert calls is 805-979-2040 and will appear on a recipient’s caller ID. If a recipient missed a ReadySBC Alerts call or would like to rehear the voice message, the recipient can redial this phone number to listen to the most recent notification message, as long as the message is still active and has not expired or been stopped.

Figure 1. Example of “geo-fence” polygon in Everbridge
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 5 of 29 Notifications will come from the same contact identifiers (i.e., phone numbers, contact name, email addresses) each time. Community members are encouraged to add the County’s alerting “contact information” to their contacts so as to know when messages are public safety considerations. These are:

Type of Notification Contact Identifier
ReadySBC Alert calls 805-979-2040
ReadySBC Alert emails ReadySBC Alerts ([email protected]) ReadySBC SMS text messages 88911
Nixle email ReadySBC Alerts ([email protected]) Nixle SMS text messages 89361
Nixle
Nixle is a zip code-based notification tool used by the County to communicate basic information for larger scale incidents. To register for Nixle text messages, community members send a text message with their zip code(s) to 888-777. The short code text number for Nixle text messages is 89361. Subscribers will receive a text message suggesting they subscribe for additional Nixle emails if they choose.

Nixle notifications cannot be sent to a portion of a zip code (“all or none” targeting). This means that subscribers will receive any Nixle message related to a specific zip code they sign up for. If using Nixle as a notification method, all ZIP codes that intersect with the selected notification area – and therefore all Nixle subscribers registered for these ZIP codes – will be notified. As a result, an alert intended for up to a couple hundred people could potentially reach thousands. This scenario frequently occurs during Shelter-in-Place incidents that impact a small geographic area, such as a neighborhood or a few blocks. Using Nixle in these cases will result in notification beyond the targeted population. Due to the lack to precision targeting associated with Nixle, requestors and alert originators should only use Nixle when most appropriate.

If the use of Nixle is warranted, alert originators should consider whether to use Nixle “Community” (email only) or Nixle “Advisory” (text message and email) depending on the urgency, severity, and visibility of the incident. For example, highly visible wildfires close to or within urban areas may attract attention or concerns from the community who may seek information and guidance on evacuation. In this case, Nixle can help community members stay informed and understand their risk in addition to reducing 9-1-1 call volume.

IPAWS, WEA and EAS
IPAWS is FEMA’s national alerting system that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information at the federal, state, and local level. Within the suite of IPAWS tools are Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS).

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 6 of 29 WEA is a text-like emergency message with a distinct tone and vibration that can be received by WEA-enabled mobile devices. Local cell towers broadcast the emergency
message to any device within a geographically targeted
area. In recent years, FEMA implemented WEA 2.0
enhancements that expanded alerts to 360 characters for newer model mobile devices (90-character WEA messages
are still required) and added Spanish language fields. To ensure the majority of WEA recipients receive the alert message in both English and Spanish, regardless of
their device’s language settings, the County utilizes the 360-character WEA fields to send bilingual alerts (see
Figure 2 for an example of a bilingual WEA). In other words, the English and Spanish messages are combined and
entered together into both 360-character WEA fields. Older model mobile devices may receive a 90-character WEA only in English or Spanish based on the device’s language
settings. WEA 3.0 enhancements provide for geographical targeting accuracy of up to 1/10th of a mile. However, due to various factors, including the size of the geo-fence and the configuration, position and number of cell towers in the area, WEA messages may reach recipients well outside of the targeted geographical area, and sometimes miss some within the targeted area.

EAS is utilized to transmit emergency information to TV and radio broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers, and wireline video service providers within the county.

Local broadcasters deliver alerts on a voluntary basis, but are required to transmit alerts from the U.S. President during a national emergency. When activated, an EAS message will appear as a scrolling “ticker tape” message across the bottom or top of a television screen, or delivered over local radio accompanied by a distinct alert tone. At this time, EAS cannot be customized to notify specific parts of the county, and any EAS messages sent will broadcast throughout the entire county.

The County Office of Emergency Management are the Administrators of IPAWS for the County and have established a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with FEMA to access WEA and EAS channels to send alerts. OEM Emergency Managers and Sheriff’s Office Dispatch staff are currently trained and authorized as IPAWS alert originators for the County. The MOA was last updated in February 2023 and is in effect for a maximum of three (3) years after the date of the last signature. All relevant personnel changes and changes to contact information must be provided to FEMA within 5 business days of the change.

Other jurisdictions and agencies seeking to send WEA or EAS alerts within the SBCOA are not covered under the County’s MOA with FEMA and must obtain direct authorization from FEMA to utilize IPAWS notification channels, or request the assistance from the County to send WEA and EAS notifications to the public on their behalf. The City of Santa Maria is the only other local jurisdiction within the Operational Area with a FEMA MOA for IPAWS and can send WEA messages solely within the boundaries of their jurisdiction. All uses of IPAWS within the OA must be closely coordinated with the OEM to avoid conflicting messages and potential system failures.

Figure 2. Example of bilingual WEA message.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 7 of 29 The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the only agency currently authorized to send WEAs for children and mentally/physically disabled persons that have been abducted (i.e., AMBER Alerts).

Local law enforcement agencies are responsible for requesting these alerts from CHP. However, the Sheriff’s Office may issue WEAs for at-risk missing children and disabled adults.

OEM and the National Weather Service (NWS) are the only agencies currently authorized to send EAS alerts for weather and non-weather emergency notifications for Santa Barbara County. Local agencies are to seek assistance from the OEM Duty Officer if an EAS alert is needed. The County can disseminate WEA and EAS messages using Everbridge or DASDEC. DASDEC is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved encoder/decoder device installed within the EOC, operated on 453.600MHz, and accessible via a web-based application. Santa Barbara County has been assigned a FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) location code 006083 used by IPAWS to recognize geographic warning areas.

Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan
Per the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 11, Subpart D, Section 11.55, EAS may be activated at the State and Local Area levels by EAS Participants at their discretion for day-to-day emergency situations posing a threat to life and property. The Santa Barbara County Local Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan is governed by this regulation and the rules of the FCC. This plan outlines procedures for tv and radio broadcasters in Santa Barbara County on how to voluntarily rebroadcast EAS messages originated by NWS and OEM. The plan is managed by the Local Emergency Communications Committee (LECC) comprised of members from radio, television and government sectors and must be updated every two (2) years or as needed to reflect major changes or lessons learned following an activation. Refer to the most current EAS Plan revised June 2018.

ReadySBC.org, Public Information Maps, and Social Media Channels During an active incident, OEM posts information on the County’s emergency website www.ReadySBC.org (and in Spanish at www.ReadySBC.org/es), including evacuation maps, shelter locations, local assistance resources and more. To ensure the most current information is posted to the website, authorized alerting agencies will provide updates to the OEM Duty Officer and/or the Joint Information Center (JIC) periodically or as new developments occur. Ideally, agencies should provide this information prior to sending emergency alerts as long as doing so will not impede timely public notification. OEM also utilizes digital emergency public information mapping to complement emergency alert information that depict areas of concern, areas subject to a protective action, emergency sheltering locations, road closures, and other pertinent emergency information. These digital maps are interactive and allow community members to input an address into a search bar to determine if their home, business or other important location is within or in proximity to an area of concern or under protective actions (e.g., evacuations). Maps are intended to be intutitive and easy-to-use by the whole community, including individuals with limited technical proficiency and low literacy, across desktop and mobile platforms. As much of the mapping information (i.e. protective action area descriptions, legend) is translated in Spanish whenever possible. A splash screen or pop-up informational box appears each time a map is accessed that contains messages on the status of any protective actions.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 8 of 29 Social media has become a critical component to publicize preparedness messaging, hazard awareness, and emergency information to both the media and the public. The County consistently utilizes several accounts and platforms – such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Nextdoor – to echo emergency alerts and help amplify information quickly and broadly throughout the county. Information is posted in both English and Spanish whenever possible, especially on Facebook and other social media platforms more commonly used by the Spanish-speaking community.

While a powerful communication medium, social media is highly dependent on the public following and paying attention to authorized accounts when an incident is imminent or occurring. Moreover, vulnerable community members, such as seniors and low-income residents, may not utilize social media or have access to the technology to do so. Accordingly, social media is not a substitute for emergency alerts, door-to-door, or other targeted notification methods.

Agency Social Media Handle
Office of Emergency Management Twitter: @SBCountyOEM
Facebook: @SantaBarbaraCountyOEM
County Sheriff’s Office Twitter: @sbsheriff; @SBSOPIO
Facebook: @santabarbarasheriff
Instagram: @santabarbaracountysheriff
County Fire Department Twitter: @SBCFireInfo
Facebook: @santabarbaracountyfire
Instagram: @santabarbaracountyfire
Public Health Department Twitter: @SBCPublicHealth
Facebook: @SBCountyPublicHealth
Instagram: @sbcpublichealth
Figure 3. Example of emergency public information map splash screen.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 9 of 29 County of Santa Barbara Twitter: @countyofsb; @csbenespanol Facebook: @countyofsb
Instagram: @countyofsb
Nextdoor: County of Santa Barbara
Contact Information Sources and Confidentiality
The ReadySBC Alerts organization in Everbridge houses community member contact information, referred to as “Confidential Information”, that is aggregated from multiple sources:

ReadySBC.org subscriptions. Once an account is established, subscribers can enter their notification method preferences, including text message, phone call, email, and TTY/TDD, that can be associated with up to five (5) locations within the county.

Subscribers must provide at least one notification method and one physical address to be alerted.

Nixle phone numbers (for text messages only) and email addresses. Community members can register for zip-code based Nixle notifications by texting their zip code to 888-777. Other than a phone number and an email address, no other personal information is collected from the subscriber. Nixle is NOT recommended as the sole alerting method residents should register for.

Local White and Yellow Pages resident and business telephone numbers. 911 Emergency Service Listing (ESL) or “E911” data that includes listed and unlisted landline records for Frontier Communications customers.

Everbridge’s Resident Connection database of verified mobile, landline and Voice over Internet (VoIP) telephone records from multiple sources, including telecommunication companies.

Most of the contact information accessible to the County are listed and unlisted landline phone numbers obtained from the “E911” database, White and Yellow Pages, and the Resident Connection database. In order to receive emergency alerts through mobile phone calls, text messages, and emails, community members must register their contact information on ReadySBC.org (in Spanish, ReadySBC.org/es).

All contact information within Everbridge is considered Confidential Information and protected against unauthorized use and access. In compliance with California Public Utilities Code Sections 2872 and 2891.1, Confidential Information and use of the ENS can be accessed for events or information directly related to public safety only. Authorized alerting agencies may not access Confidential Information or use the ENS for purposes that could be considered "telemarketing", “community news”, "political announcements", or for other non-emergency functions. Additionally, Confidential Information in the ENS may not be examined for investigative purposes in order to identify individual citizens or their contact information except for the purposes of analysis in order to determine if the system is functioning properly.

Personnel authorized to utilize the ENS system will take all reasonably feasible precautions to protect Confidential Information, safeguard and periodically update user passwords, and prevent any unauthorized use of the system. Authorized users are prohibited from saving ENS system passwords to their browser. Personnel are prohibited from accessing Confidential Information for personal reasons outside of professional responsibilities, such as information on friends and Figure 4. Table of County social media accounts commonly used during emergencies.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 10 of 29 family, or searching for information on celebrities and other public figures. Unauthorized access, use, or modification of Confidential Information, or in transit to/from the ENS, may constitute a violation of civil and criminal laws. Anyone who accesses the ENS without authorization or exceeds access authority, or obtains, alters, damages, destroys, or discloses information, or prevents authorized use of information on the information system, may be subject to penalties, fines or imprisonment.

The ENS, its information, and any related equipment is subject to monitoring for administrative oversight, law enforcement, criminal investigative purposes, inquiries into alleged wrongdoing or misuse, and to ensure proper performance of applicable security features and procedures. All ENS users much sign a confidentiality agreement that documents these expectations and responsibilities.

ENS Appropriate Use
Authorized alerting agencies are responsible for ensuring the ENS is utilized appropriately in accordance with federal, state and local policies, guidelines and regulations. Generally, appropriate use of the ENS generally falls within two (2) categories:
1) The need to disseminate critical, time-sensitive public health and safety information and protective actions for potential, imminent, and in-progress incidents, as well as follow-up, corrective, cancellation, and disaster recovery notifications. 2) Communicating with emergency response employees, volunteers and other stakeholders regarding an emergency, including notifications to report for duty as a disaster service worker.

On occasion, agencies may receive requests to activate the ENS for situations that do not rise to the level of an emergency or can be managed more quickly and effectively by other notification means.

For example, door-to-door notifications can be more efficient during emergencies that impact a very small number of community members. Certain emergencies with advance warning may be adequately managed through traditional media sources, social media and press conferences.

When considering if a request constitutes an appropriate use of the ENS, determine if the situation meets the following criteria:

Severity. Is there a significant threat to life and property? Public protection. Is there a need for community members to take a protective action in order to reduce loss of life or substantial loss of property? Timing. Does the situation require immediate public knowledge in order to avoid adverse impact?
Alternate methods. Are other means of disseminating the information inadequate to ensure proper and timely delivery of the information and protective action? If the answer to ALL of these questions is “YES”, ENS activation may be warranted.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 11 of 29

NOTIFICATION RESPONSIBILITIES
With the exception of hazardous material incidents involving petroleum refineries, there are no other enacted laws that require local governments to provide alert and warning notifications through specific methods or for specific events, hazards or threats. However, national and international best practices dictate that alert and warning capabilities should be carried out by local government as quickly and efficiently as possible, and utilizing an array of dissemination pathways in order to notify the public of necessary protective actions and save lives. Notification responsibilities within Santa Barbara County are informed by best practices, considerations of evacuation authority, lessons learned from past emergencies and disasters, and an agreed upon approach of shared responsibility.

Notifications within a city, Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), the Chumash Band of Indians reservation, or a local higher institution of education (e.g., UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College), are the responsibility of that jurisdiction. Additionally, many school districts have their own alerting systems for students and parents. However, not all local jurisidications have an ENS and may request assistance from Santa Barbara County to disseminate notifications within their jurisdiction on their behalf.

New Tier 3 Incidents (Highest Urgency)
The ECC is responsible for sending notifications/alerts for NEW Tier 3 level incidents when there is an imminent threat with no prior notice requiring immediate action by the public. Please refer to the Public Emergency Notification Matrix on page 17 of the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy for notification tiers.

The diagram below illustrates an example scenario where the ECC receives a request to issue a Tier 3 alert for an evacuation that includes a WEA and other notification methods, followed by a “hand-off” to OEM:

Once the OEM Duty Officer confirms that he/she is available to take over sending alerts, an official hand-off of the alerting responsibilities from the ECC to OEM should occur. If the ECC is facing challenges in successfully creating and sending the notifications, the ECC can New Tier 3 level
incident with
imminent
threat requiring
immediate
action by the
public, such as
evacuation
Field Incident
Commander
(IC) or other
authority
makes decision
on action such
as ordering an
evacuation
ECC receives
request and
necessary
information to
issue alert
ECC issues a
WEA alert first,
followed by an
alert using
other methods
ECC confirms
with the field
that the WEA
and other alerts
were received
successfully
ECC notifies
leadership and
hands off
alerting to OEM
Duty Officer
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 12 of 29 request assistance from OEM. This assistance can include troubleshooting issues, guidance through the notification process, and assuming responsibility of new imminent threat alerting if the OEM Duty Officer is available and ready to begin sending alerts.

After the hand-off occurs, ECC will email the Sheriff’s Operations Commander, the Sheriff’s Communications Manager and the OEM Duty Officer ([email protected]) to document the hand-off. At this point, the OEM Duty Officer will issue any notifications needed, including Tier 3 alerts, updates and “stand down” notifications.

Ongoing/Advance Warning Tier 3 Incidents
The OEM Duty Officer is responsible for sending notifications/alerts for ONGOING incidents when there is an imminent threat requiring protective action by the public and for notification of hazards in which there is advance warning (e.g., evacuation warnings/orders due to potential major flooding or debris flow, Public Safety Power Shutoffs). The diagram below illustrates an example of the alerting process for an ongoing threat requiring evacuations:
*Depending on the type of incident, actions may be determined by preapproved policy or based on consultation with the OEM Director and/or Director of Emergency Services.

Tier 1 and 2 (Low to Moderate Threat) Alerts
The OEM Duty Officer is responsible for sending notifications/alerts for incidents when there is NOT an imminent threat requiring action by the public. Typically, these types of incidents fall into Tiers 1 and 2. Please refer to the Public Alert Notification Matrix on page 17 for more information.

Tier 1 and 2 Procedure:

1. ECC or OEM receives notification of a low to moderate threat as defined by Tiers 1 and 2 in the definitions section of this document.

2. If notification of the threat is received by the ECC, the ECC will communicate this information to the OEM Duty Officer via the 24/7 Duty Officer line: (805) 696-1194.

3. The OEM Duty Officer will then send out the alert as appropriate.

Ongoing
incident with
imminent
threat requiring
action by the
public such as
evacuation
*Incident
Commander or
Unified
Command
makes decision
on action such
as ordering an
evacuation
OEM Duty
Officer receives
request and
information
needed from
the ICP to issue
alert
OEM Duty
Officer issues a
WEA alert first,
followed by
alerting using
other methods
Duty Officer
confirms with
the field that
the WEA alert
was received
successfully
Press Release,
Evacuation
Maps,
notifications to
leadership are
completed (as
needed)
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
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REQUIRED MESSAGE ELEMENTS
The County recognizes that message content and characteristics – including style, length, delivery, and type of recommended protective action – can influence public response. Messages must be clear, succinct, and disseminated by an authority that is known and credible in the county. In accordance with the State of California Alert and Warning Guidelines, the county strives to disseminate alert messages that prompt appropriate and timely public protective action.

Whenever possible, messages include the following five (5) elements:

Source: State of California Alert & Warning Guidelines – March 2019 Per the Code of Federal Regulations (47 CFR §10.420 – WEA Message Elements), a WEA alert message “shall include five mandatory CAP elements – Event Type; Area Affected; Recommended Action; Expiration Time (with time zone); and Sending Agency.” If incident information received from the field is incomplete and there is an imminent threat, alert originators should act with prudence and send out an alert with the best information available. When possible, attempts should be made to seek clarification.

However, when dealing with uncertain or conflicting information about a threat and clarification cannot be obtained, choose to err on the side of protecting the public.

Pre-Scripted Message Coordination
The use of approved pre-scripted message templates will support faster alerting, consistent use of standardized terminology, and succinct, clear and accessible messages in line with best practices and include required message elements. SBCOA authorized alerting agencies are encouraged to work collaboratively to develop pre-scripted message templates that include bilingual English/Spanish translations for relevant local hazards.

The County has established various pre-scripted message tools and translation aids:

Pre-scripted Public Alert and Warning Message Matrix for the most common types of emergencies and protective actions in English and Spanish divided by delivery method and max character length.

Message templates uploaded to Everbridge for the most frequently used or relevant hazards and protective actions.

The Message Alert Generator (MAG), an English-to-Spanish message converter for emergency alerts and notifications.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 14 of 29 In some instances, custom written messages may be necessary to address nuanced, complex or unusual incidents. Alert originators must still ensure the five (5) required messaging elements are included in the emergency alert.

ENS ACCESS AND COORDINATION FOR OPERATIONAL AREA PARTNERS Government agencies within the SBCOA are responsible for preparing for a disaster, including establishing methods for alerting and warning the public of necessary protective actions. Cities, special districts, and other agencies charged with public health and safety responsibilities can request activation of any portion of the Emergency Notification System or ReadySBC Alerts when a hazard or incident poses a threat to the community and protective actions are necessary to protect life and property. City law enforcement agencies, public safety answering points (PSAPs), and other agencies with public health and safety responsibilities may obtain direct access to the ReadySBC Alerts organization in Everbridge to disseminate emergency notifications within their jurisdiction by entering into an ENS MOU with the County.

Prior to alert dissemination and when feasible, authorized alerting agencies should inform all critical stakeholders of the notification content and potential implications, recognizing that timely notification during emergencies takes priority to preserve life and public safety. Alert and warning notifications that extend across multiple jurisdictions MUST be communicated and coordinated with the impacted and neighboring SBCOA agencies. When feasible, SBCOA agencies should coordinate with Public Information Officers (PIOs) and/or the Joint Information Center (when activated) to support concurrent messaging through other communication mediums (e.g., social media, press releases).

ENS ACTIVATION PROCEDURE
The County ENS can be activated at the request of the following agencies and personnel:

Field Incident Commander(s);
Fire and law agencies;
Cities, special districts, and other agencies charged with public health and safety responsibilities (e.g., schools, water utilities);
National Weather Service (NWS) to further amplify their own emergency notifications; County Director of Emergency Services or their designee; and OEM Director or their designee.

For incidents in which there is a co-responding agency(ies) with authority for issuing protective actions (e.g., County Sheriff and Fire Department), concurrence on type and level of protective action (e.g., Evacuation Warning vs. Order) and area to be notified should be established prior to making a request. The requestor must provide the following information in order for proper notifications to occur:

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 15 of 29 For a new, imminent threat with no prior notice (e.g., wildfire, active shooter) Contact the ECC at 805-692-5722 (not a public number) and provide:

REQUIRED
o Issuing agency and contact information
o Type of hazard
o Location of the hazard (street names, community/city), indicated as North/South/East/West street boundaries or a radius from a specific address or cross streets
o Protective action the public should take
o Expected duration (e.g., “until further notice”)

ONCE ESTABLISHED/WHEN APPLICABLE
o Temporary evacuation point (TEP) location
o Evacuation routes
The local jurisdiction shall provide updates, corrections, and cancellations of emergency alerts as appropriate.

For ongoing/advance warning threats
Contact the OEM Duty Officer at 805-696-1194 (not a public number) and provide the same information listed above.

Request updates, corrections, and cancellations emergency alerts as appropriate.

NOTE: Requestors are advised that it may take between 20 to 30 minutes to disseminate all emergency alerts from the time of the initial request. Accordingly, requestors should consider requesting an emergency alert as soon as it is deemed necessary and commence other notifications methods (e.g., door-to-door, loud speakers) until alerts can be disseminated.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 16 of 29 Limitations of Alerting Methods
Each alerting tool has limitations that can present challenges in the message development and dissemination process, as well as how the public processes and acts in response to the alert. Alert originators should have a clear understanding of how each alerting tool’s limitations affects the alerting process.

Delivery
Method
Character Limitation/Notes Target Area
ReadySBC
Alerts and
Nixle
Emails
No character limits, though brevity
increases chance recipients will read
entire message.

Can include images and other
attachments.

Defined by selected map area
(Everbridge polygon).

SMS Text
Message
Limit to 360 characters or less for
bilingual text messages.

Defined by selected map area
(Everbridge polygon).

Nixle Text
Message
138 characters. By zip codes within the selected map
area (Everbridge polygon) or
communities included. Cannot define
specific area smaller than zip code.

Twitter 140 characters if message generated
and transmitted through Everbridge;
280 if posted directly on Twitter..

Anyone following OEM’s Twitter
account.

Voice
calling
Bilingual message recording should be
kept to less than 60 seconds to avoid
voicemail cutoffs.

Defined by selected map area
(Everbridge polygon).

WEA WEA 1.0 – 90 characters
WEA 2.0 – 360 characters
Defined by selected map area
(Everbridge polygon), cell tower
location, and the configuration and
range of cell towers in the area.

EAS 2-minute time limit on messages. County TV and radio programmers who participate (see EAS Plan for list).

Participant can choose not to send
alerts and warnings.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 17 of 29 Public Emergency Notification Matrix
Level of
Notification Description Examples Delivery Method(s)
Tier 1 – Low
Urgency*
Lower Level
Hazards
Winter Storm Warning/Warming Centers
Excessive Heat Warning/Cooling Centers
High Wind Warning
Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch
Coastal Flood Watch
Tsunami Watch
Diablo Canyon Unusual Event
ReadySBC Alerts opt-in
emails only
Social media
Website
Nixle Community++ *Tier 1 alerts will only be issued between 0800 & 2000hrs (8am to 8pm).

Tier 2 –
Moderate
Urgency**
Higher Level
Hazards:

Condition is
imminent or
occurring &
protective actions
may be needed.

Flood Warning
Flash Flood Warning
Coastal Flood Warning
Tsunami Advisory
Diablo Canyon Alerts & Site Area
Emergency
Water Quality Notices
Public Health Officer protective actions
Text, email, phone,
TTY/TDD (all Everbridge
contact layers)
Social media
Website
Nixle Advisory++
** For Tier 2 hazards, use discretion on whether or not to send notifications outside the hours of 0800-2000 hrs.

Tier 3 –
High
Urgency
Requires
Immediate
protective
action.

Severe threats
requiring
protective
actions.

Immediate threat
to life and/or
property.

Shelter-In-Place Orders
Evacuation Warnings & Orders
CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological,
Nuclear, Explosive agents) incidents
Diablo Canyon General Emergency
Suspect making explicit violent threats
Wildfire
Active shooter
Mudslide/debris flow
Tsunami Warning
Public Health Officer protective actions
Dam failure
At-risk missing person – WEA ONLY (e.g.,
dementia patient, mentally disabled person)+
NWS issues WEA for severe weather conditions
(send other notifications except WEA)
Text, email, phone,
TTY/TDD (all Everbridge
contact layers)
Social Media
Website
Nixle Advisory++ WEA+++
EAS (primarily for large
scale or countywide
emergencies)
+For missing at-risk persons, use WEA only; do not use additional notification methods (e.g., phone call, email). A cancellation WEA is not necessary in these cases.
++Nixle may not be appropriate based on type of incident, size of the area impacted and time of day. +++There may be situations where an immediate threat to life exists but a WEA is not appropriate. The ECC Supervisor or OEM Duty Officer has discretion on which notification methods are appropriate. If a WEA is necessary, all other notification methods (except Nixle & EAS) must also be used. WEA is issued first, followed by all other methods.

Authorizations
Tier 1 & 2: OEM Duty
Officer
Tier 3: Immediate incident response: OEM Duty Officer; ECC Supervisor; Field Incident Commander; Agencies with public health/safety responsibilities Upon activation of Unified Command and/or EOC: Incident Commander; OEM Director; Director of Emergency Services
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 18 of 29 Alerting in English and Spanish
All alerts should be in both English and Spanish. The following methods of translation from English to Spanish will be utilized IN THIS ORDER:

1. Imminent threat Tier 3 alert will utilize pre-scripted English and Spanish templates or the Mass Alert Generator (MAG) tool and then cut and paste into the alert.

2. Request the assistance of a bilingual colleague with experience translating emergency alerting concepts. If a colleague is not immediately available, contact other public safety partner agencies known to have bilingual personnel and ask if they are available to assist.

3. Send request to the Emergency Alerting Translation Team via email and notify them by text message that a translation is needed. A member of the Team available to immediately translate will immediately reply all “I will complete translation.” The other Team members will stand down. The Team member who accepted the translation will reply all to the email with the translated alert.

4. If no Emergency Alerting Translation Team members reply to the text, a contractor will be utilized.

5. At no time should an alert requiring immediate action be delayed because of delays in translation.

ADDITIONAL ALERTING CONSIDERATIONS
Update and Cancellation Messages
As an incident progresses, new information may become available. Alert originators may need to send update notifications and/or post information through social media and ReadySBC.org.

Some examples that may require update notifications include:

Evacuation upgrades and expansions (i.e., Evacuation Warning upgraded to Evacuation Order);
Evacuation route availaibility;
Location of support services (e.g., Temporary Evacuation Points, animal shelter, decontamination); or
Activation of County Call Center phone number and online information.

Notifications must clearly indicate that the message is an update for an ongoing incident and/or replaces previous instructions. Examples:
“The Evacuation Warning issued for the wildfire along Highway 154 in Santa Barbara has been upgraded to an Evacuation Order. Residents must leave immediately.” “Update: The Evacuation Order for the Cave Fire have been expanded to include the area east of Patterson Ave, west of Turnpike Rd, south of Cathedral Oaks Rd, and north of Hollister Ave in Goleta. Evacuate immediately.” Alert originators must ensure a cancellation message is sent to notify the public the incident has been resolved, including lifting or ending evacuations or a shelter-in-place. This may occur hours after an incident first begins. In the event there are multiple protective actions in place, the cancellation message must clearly indicate if part or all of the actions have been cancelled.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 19 of 29 If an incident is not yet resolved by the end of a shift, the alert originator must notify the oncoming shift supervisor of the need to send any notifications updates, including a cancellation message once the incident is resolved.

ENS Appropriate Use for Police Activity
Unless there is an immediate and credible threat to the public, such as an active shooter, or a suspect making explicit violent threats towards others and beyond any initial victim(s), and protective action is necessary, then ENS should not be used for police activity. Examples of police activity in which ENS activation is NOT appropriate include:

Suspects on the loose following an armed robbery, police chase, etc.

Barricaded subjects (door-to-door notifications should be conducted if there are concerns for neighbors or others in the vicinity)
“Be on the lookout/BOLO” messages (use of the ENS for BOLOs violates public data use agreements)
Diablo Canyon Power Plant Emergency Classification Levels (ECL) Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) established Emergency Classification Levels (ECL) terms to communicate the release potential and significance of an incident at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant , located within San Luis Obispo County, to various potentially affected parties including the County of Santa Barbara. PG&E and the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services (SLO OES) are responsible for notifying residents within the County of San Luis Obispo of an incident, as well as their contingent counties. Upon notification from PG&E or the SLO OES that an event has occurred at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the County of Santa Barbara will notify potentially impacted residents within its jurisdiction via the ReadySBC Alerts system. Attachment A of the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy lists the technical and public information definition of each ECL term and the respective Notification Tier level in accordance with County of Santa Barbara Public Emergency Notification Matrix.

Ensuring Notification to Whole Community
Alert originators must consider the type of population in the incident area and determine if WEA utilization is appropriate. This includes various populations that may not be listed in the Everbridge contact database and as a result may not receive a notification using traditional contact methods (i.e., phone call, text, email), and are less likely to receive information thorugh other communication channels. Examples include:

Areas and communities frequented by tourists and students Visitors to commercial areas (e.g., grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants) Commuters from surrounding counties
Youth and young adults with cell phones
Unhoused/homeless populations
Immigrants, particularly those working outside of their neighborhoods in agriculture, landscaping and hospitality sectors
Alert originators should NOT use the “Send Follow-up” feature within Everbridge at this time. Use a new notification template for all updates and cancellation messages, but utilize the same maps/polygons from initial notifications.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 20 of 29 Non-English speaking communities that are unaware of or able to understand information through government and traditional media communication channels Undocumented populations
Isolated communities with historically vulnerable communications infrastructure (e.g., Cuyama Valley, Los Alamos)
Utilizing WEA increases the likelihood that individuals with a mobile device within the incident area will be notified. As such, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that WEA be utilized for high urgency/severity hazards and threats, including advising the community of protective actions such as evacuations and sheltering, or any other time sensitive life-safety information.

AUTHORIZED USERS
ENS system administrators are responsible for authorizing and documenting system access to designated alert originators for their respective agencies. Personnel authorized to activate the ENS system will take all reasonably feasible precautions to protect Confidential Information and prevent any unauthorized use of the system. Access may also be granted to personnel responsible for data management and post-incident analysis, such as GIS analysts and IT support personnel. Each authorized user will:
• Have his/her/their own password.
• Not share passwords.
• Ensure passwords meet stringent security measures in accordance with the FEMA MOA and County ICT requirements.
• Change their password every 90 days.
• Log off the system before leaving their workstation.
• Never save his/her/their password to ENS web browser or phone application. • Complete required training per the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy.

Below is a list of current designated alert originators by agency and job title, and their alerting tool access level:

Authorized Alert Originators
and Access Level
ReadySBC Alerts
organization
(Everbridge)
IPAWS – WEA
(Everbridge)
IPAWS –

WEA & EAS
(Everbridge and

DASDEC)
Sheriff’s Office
ECC Dispatch Supervisors
and Managers
Sheriff’s Office
ECC Dispatchers
OEM Director
OEM Emergency Managers
Montecito Fire Protection
District – Dispatchers
City of Santa Maria Police
Department – Dispatchers *
* The City of Santa Maria obtained FEMA IPAWS access for the dissemination of WEAs. The City established their own Everbridge account to send WEAs and other notifications separate from the County’s Everbridge and IPAWS tools.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 21 of 29 NOTE: Various other agencies within Santa Barbara County may utilize alerting tools and solutions to notify individuals within their jurisdiction, but these do not include the use of ReadySBC Alerts or IPAWS tools. Examples of agencies include but are not limited to K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, utility providers, special districts and cities.

ORIENTATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
To ensure effective, efficient and correct use of alert and warning capabilities, designated alert originators must complete the following orientation and trainings within prior to using the system.

ENS access and passwords will be issued upon completion of required training and not before.

Alert Originator Requirements
Alert Originators are defined as staff who have been designated the authority and have the training required to compose and disseminate emergency alerts within their agency’s ENS. Alert Originators accessing the County’s ReadySBC Alerts system, including SBCOA partners that have entered into an ENS MOU with the County for direct access to the system, are required to complete the trainings listed below. SBCOA agencies utilizing their own alerting system are responsible for establishing training requirements for their alert originators, though are encouraged to adopt the County’s requirements for consistency and ease of coordination across public safety agencies.

Santa Barbara County Alert & Warning Training (in-person; 4 hours) Everbridge Mass Notification Message Sender Certification (online; 2.5 hours) IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System (online; 2 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=is-100.c IS-200.C Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response (online; 4 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-200.c IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System (online; 3.5 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-700.b IS-800.D: National Response Framework, An Introduction (online; 3 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-800.d Any Alert Originators that will utilize IPAWS tools must also complete:

IS-247.B: IPAWS for Alert Originators (online; 2 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-247.b Each Alert Originator must read and sign the IPAWS-OPEN Rules of Behavior (Appendix C of the IPAWS Memorandum of Agreement) that establishes individual responsibilities regarding accessing, storing, receiving and/or transmitting information using IPAWS.

Practitioner Requirements
Practitioners are defined as staff responsible for developing alert messaging scripts, plans and tools, and are authorized to exercise discretion in alert dissemination, such as OEM Duty Officers and ECC Supervisors. Practitioners will complete all Alert Originator requirements indicated in the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy, plus additional trainings and review of authority documents and videos.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 22 of 29 Trainings:

IS-251.A: IPAWS for Alerting Administrators (online; 2 hours) https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-251.a Required Readings/Videos:

A Guide to Public Alerts and Warnings for Dam and Levee Emergencies https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Users/182/86/2486/EP%201110-2-

17.pdf?ver=2019-06-20-152050-550
WEA Messages: Impact on Physiological, Emotional, Cognitive and Behavioral Responses https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/UCLA%20- %20WEA%20Final%20Report%2008-11-2016-508.pdf
Best Practices in Wireless Emergency Alerts
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Wireless%20Emergency%20Alerts%20B est%20Practices_0.pdf PrepTalks Discussion Guide: Modernizing Public Warning Messages, Dr. Dennis Mileti https://www.fema.gov/blog/preptalks-dr-dennis-mileti-modernizing-public-warningmessaging

ONGOING TRAINING, TESTING AND EXERCISE
The ECC, OEM and any SBCOA agencies with alerting capabilities will collaborate on regular training, testing and exercises of all components of the ENS to ensure the ability to send emergency notification information across the entire county. Especially for systems not in use daily, testing should be coordinated prior to execution to ensure appropriate rules and regulations are followed.

Exercises and testing should assess every component of the alert and warning program and identify the appropriate testing cycles for each piece. Systems that are used daily (e.g. social media) may not require system testing frequencies as aggressive as those that are used infrequently or are more complex (e.g. WEA). It is an industry best practice to conduct a systemwide test periodically to highlight flaws in system interoperability and compatibility.

Large-scale tests can have the effect of renewing the public’s knowledge of the system(s) being used as well as encouraging citizen opt-ins for those systems that allow them.

EAS Testing
Required to occur on the first Wednesday of each month on alternating daytime and nighttime hours (10:50AM and 4:50AM, respectively). Please refer to the Local Area EAS Plan.

WEA Testing
Required monthly through the Everbridge Training organization. For instructions on the County’s required WEA testing, please refer to the Monthly WEA Testing Job Aid (confidential).

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 23 of 29 IPAWS Message Viewer
The FEMA IPAWS Program Management Office (PMO) has developed an IPAWS Message Viewer that can be used by authorized alerting authorities to practice writing and sending IPAWS messages in a closed non-production demonstration and training environment at the IPAWS Lab at JITC (Joint Interoperability Testing Command).

To start using the IPAWS Message Viewer in a web browser, open the website below and enter your training COG ID where it says “[insert COGID#]” for the IPAWS Message Viewer:
https://ipaws-open.net/ALERT_SERVICES/postedmessages.php?COGID=[insert COGID#] Santa Barbara County “Live” COG ID: 300396 LINK: https://ipawsopen-lab.net/ALERT_SERVICES/postedmessages.php?COGID=300396 Santa Barbara County “Test” COD ID: 200396 LINK: https://ipawsopen-lab.net/ALERT_SERVICES/postedmessages.php?COGID=200396 Annual Community Awareness Test
On an annual basis, OEM will conduct a Tier 2 live test of the County’s ENS in collaboration with SBCOA partner agencies. A press release and public information will be disseminated in the weeks prior to support countywide awareness of the test. The message of the test will remind community members to update their contact information via ReadySBC.org to ensure they are notified during actual emergencies.

DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS
Advisory: Highlights special conditions that are less serious than a warning, shelter in place, or evacuation. They are for events that may cause significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, it could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property (definition from California Alert & Warning Guidelines, March 2019).

Alert Originator: Staff who have been designated the authority and have the training to compose and disseminate emergency alerts within their agency’s ENS.

DASDEC: A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved and FEMA compliant encoder/decoder device used to send Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages via a web-based application. The DASDEC device is installed within the Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and is operated on 453.600MHz radio frequency.

Everbridge: A emergency notification software solution supported by Everbridge, Inc. The County of Santa Barbara and the City of Santa Maria utilize Everbridge as its primary tool to disseminate emergency alerts simultaneously through multiple notification channels, including landline and mobile phone calls, text messages, emails, TTY/TDD, social media, and IPAWS notification tools such as WEA and EAS. May be referred to as the “Emergency Notification System”.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 24 of 29 Emergency Alert System (EAS): A nationwide public safety system that enables government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas through radio and television in the area they are located. OEM has integrated its EAS capabilities into the Everbridge emergency notification platform, which opens up a new communication channel and includes an additional message that is embedded in the Everbridge notification workflow. OEM also utilizes DASDEC (Digital Alert System Decoder) to transmit EAS messages. See also DASDEC and IPAWS.

Emergency Alert Translation Team: A team of approved Spanish translators who are capable of quickly translating written alerts from English to Spanish and have been trained on the alerting limitations and requirements.

Emergency Notification System (ENS): Often used synonymously with the term “Everbridge” or “ReadySBC Alerts”, this is any software platform currently in use that provides the basic capability to deliver emergency messaging to the public using various delivery paths Evacuation Order: There is a hazard in the area that poses an immediate threat to life. Anyone in the area should evacuate immediately. An area under an Evacuation Order is lawfully closed to the public. An evacuation center will be established and announced shortly.

Evacuation Warning: There is a hazard in the area that poses a potential threat to life and/or property and you may need to evacuate. Residents should remain alert, prepare essential items and pets, and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Do not wait for an evacuation order; leave if you feel unsafe or threatened by the hazard. People with disabilities, access and functional needs should leave at this time. People with large animals should also leave now.

FIPS Codes: Federal Information Processing Standards Codes (FIPS Codes) are a standardized set of numeric or alphabetic codes issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to ensure uniform identification of geographic entities. The entities covered include: states, counties, American Indian and Alaska Native areas, etc. FIPS codes are used by IPAWS as one method to specify geographic warning areas. The entirety of Santa Barbara County is assigned the FIPS code 006083 with regions within the county assigned distinct sub-FIPS codes.

Handoff: The process of transferring alerting responsibilities between the ECC and the OEM Duty Officer.

Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS): Established by Presidential Executive Order 13407. In the event of a national emergency, the President will be able to use the IPAWS to send a message to the American people quickly and simultaneously through multiple communications pathways. IPAWS is also being made available to United States Federal, State, local, territorial and tribal government officials as a way to alert the public via the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA), NOAA Weather Radio and other National Weather Service dissemination channels, the Internet, existing unique warning systems, and emerging distribution technologies.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 25 of 29 Nixle: A zip code-based notification tool. Because an entire (and not part) of zip code is notified, Nixle is primarily used to communicate basic information for larger scale incidents. To register, community members send a text message with their zip code(s) to 888-777 to register.

Subscribers will receive a text message suggesting they subscribe for additional Nixle emails if they choose. Alert Originators can elect to send Nixle “Community” (email only) or Nixle “Advisory” (text message and email) notifications depending on the urgency, severity, and visibility of the incident.

OEM: Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. Serves as the Santa Barbara County Operational Area (SBCOA) Coordinator to bring cities, special districts, non-profits and other organizations together for emergency and disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery activities. More information available at www.sbcoem.org. Practitioner: Staff responsible for developing alert messaging scripts, plans and tools, and are authorized to exercise discretion in alert dissemination, such as OEM Duty Officers and ECC Supervisors.

ReadySBC Alerts (formerly Aware & Prepare Alerts): Refers to the County’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) which is currently powered by the Everbridge software platform. It is often used synonymously with the term “Everbridge”, though they are not interchangeable. Nixle alerts fall under the umbrella of ReadySBC Alerts and are originated from the Everbridge platform.

For the purposes of this document, ReadySBC Alerts, or any variation of this moniker, refers to an alert originating from the Everbridge platform (or the County’s ENS). This includes all alerts (Tiers 1-3).

Shelter-In-Place Order: Finding a safe location indoors and staying there until the public is given an “all clear” or told to evacuate. The public may be asked to shelter in place because of an active shooter, tornado, flash flooding, chemical, and radiological hazards, amongst others.

Tier 1 Alert: Low urgency hazards. There is a chance the condition will happen or is currently happening, but generally do not cause significant impacts to the community.

Tier 2 Alert: Moderate urgency hazards. The situation is imminent or occurring, and the public may need to take, or prepare to take, proper protective measures.

Tier 3 Alert: High urgency hazards. There is an expected or immediate threat to life and/or property, and people will need to take protective action such as sheltering-in-place or evacuation.

Warning:

In the context of general emergency alerts – Communication intended to persuade members of the public to take one or more protective actions in order to reduce losses or harm (definition from California Alert & Warning Guidelines, March 2019).

National Weather Service (NWS) definition – Hazardous weather event is occurring, imminent or likely, and weather conditions may pose a threat to life or property and protective action is needed.

County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 26 of 29 Watch: Conditions are favorable for a specific hazardous weather event to occur.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): WEA is a nationwide public safety system that allows enabled mobile devices to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages (currently 90- and 360-characters max length) to specific geographic areas through cell towers. The towers broadcast the emergency alerts for reception by WEA-enabled mobile devices. WEA capabilities are integrated into the Everbridge mass notification platform. See also Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

AUTHORITY
Federal
FEMA IPAWS Program Management Office Memorandum of Agreement (MOA); Attachment 1 Wireless Emergency Alerts – Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 10 Emergency Alert System (EAS) Operations During a State or Local Area Emergency – Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Section 11.55
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard (LOX) Office – LOX Hazards Quick Reference Guide: https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/fastpage/QuickReference_public.pdf FEMA Best Practices in Wireless Emergency Alerts – September 2013 https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Wireless%20Emergency%20Alerts% 20Best%20Practices_0.pdf
State
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) – California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 2, Chapter 1
Activation of the Emergency Alert System for Abductions (AMBER Alerts) – California Government Code, Title 2, Chapter 7, Article 6.5, Section 8594 Integrated Alerting and Notification System for Petroleum Refinery Events – California Health and Safety Code, Division 20, Chapter 6.5, Article 2, Section 25536.6 State of California Alert & Warning Guidelines – March 2019 http://calalerts.org/documents/2019-CA-Alert-Warning-Guidelines.pdf Local
Santa Barbara County Emergency Alert System (EAS) Local Area Plan – June 2018 Santa Barbara County Code of Ordinances – Chapter 12, Section 12-7(f) County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
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REFERENCES
California State Auditor Report, December 2019: “California Is Not Adequately Prepared to Protect Its Most Vulnerable Residents from Natural Disasters”. Accessed 9/21/20:
http://auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2019-103.pdf
Santa Barbara County Grand Jury Report, June 10, 2020: “Public Alerts for Public Safety Power Shutoffs and Emergencies”. Accessed 11/15/22: https://sbcgj.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/02/PSPS.pdf

ATTACHMENTS

1. Attachment A: Diablo Canyon Power Plant Emergency Classification Levels (ECL) Quick Reference Sheet

2. Attachment B: Revision Record
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 28 of 29 Attachment A
County of Santa Barbara
Public Alert & Warning Policy
Rev. 9.8.23
Filepath: F:\DocumentCenter\Disaster Communications\Alerting\Policies and Best Practices Page 29 of 29 Attachment B
Revision Record
The County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the Office of Emergency Management and Sheriff’s Office and with input from SBCOA partner agencies. Any changes to the County of Santa Barbara Public Alert and Warning Policy will be documented in the table below.

Date Name Agency Page/Area Modification Description
9/8/23 Yaneris Muñiz County OEM Page 9, Social
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