Global Security Systems (GSS) is working with Northrop Grumman Corporation 's Mission Systems sector to deploy national, state and local alert and warning systems that leverage wireless and non-wireless communications infrastructure and consumer devices such as cell phones, music players, GPS devices and the like. The combined systems will enable the president, state and local officials, and emergency management agencies to communicate with first responders as well as citizens in the event of a natural disaster, national, regional or local emergency. In particular, this collaboration addresses the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deploy an Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).
The GSSNet AlertFM system uses an FM chip that can be inserted into many common consumer devices to enable them to receive weather, homeland security, and local alerts including traffic emergencies and Amber alerts. The system is currently installed in hundreds of FM stations in over 10 states across the Midwest and Southeastern parts of the
United States. The devices currently receive content from broadcasting partners, as well as state and local agencies to ensure wide distribution of NOAA, DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) content.
"Seven years after the 9-11 terror attacks, it is clear that the need to alert first responders and citizens in the event of a disaster via text message, cell phone or other PDA-type devices still exists," said Robert Adams, CEO of GSS. "We, like emergency management officials throughout the country, understand that the most effective way to save lives in the event of a disaster is to quickly alert individual citizens in the widest, easiest way possible. This combined system does exactly that."
"Our growing consortium is uniquely positioned to deliver the alert aggregation and gateway functions that agencies require to link emergency operations centers and commercial mobile service providers." said Dave Nastase, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s Mission
Support Solutions Operating Unit.
Through a coalition, user groups, and associations, both companies will continue to convene stakeholder forums to address effective implementation of public alert and warning systems. GSS served on the committee established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop Commercial Mobile Alert Standards (CMAS). Recently, GSS successfully demonstrated their consumer devices in a DHS Science and Technology forum focused on distributing alerts through the Common Alert Protocol (CAP).
