Massachusetts Health & Homeland Alert Network

1. MassachusettsHealth & Homeland Alert Network

2. THE ALERTING NETWORKS • Part 1: Federal, State and Local Alerting Network • Part 2: Dukes County Emergency Notification Network

3. Part 1: Federal, State and Local Alerting NetworkPROGRAM NAME • HAN • Massachusetts Alert Network • Massachusetts Health Alert Network • Massachusetts Health & Homeland Alert Network • Massachusetts Homeland Alert Network • Massachusetts Alert Network • HAN

4. Program Description • Internet-based Alerting System • Simultaneously transmits Alerts vertically downward from a higher echelon Agency at the State level to an unlimited number of local Agencies • ie: • 1) Mass DPH to local Boards of Health, Hospitals, etc • 2) From the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to local Emergency Management Agencies

5. Program Description, cont. • Alerts are received by lower echelon Agencies via • Cell Phone • Landline • PDA • Alpha Numeric Pager • Email • Fax • Method of receipt is dependant on the priority of the Alert • and is pre-set by the receiver at the time of his inclusion on the HAN

6. Program Description, cont. • This Alerting System can also be used by permitted agencies at any level to simultaneously transmit Alerts laterally and/or downward to agencies of equal or lesser status • ie: • 1) Mass DPH to MEMA • 2) From Town “a” Hospital to all the Police Departments, Fire Depts, and EMS Depts, Emergency Management Depts. In Town “b”, Town “c” and/or Town “d”

7. Program Features • Alerting Function • Contact Information Look-up function • Online news postings for low priority information dissemination • Collaboration on documents • Document Library

8. How big is the HAN ? • Massachusetts • Rhode Island • Connecticut • Vermont • New Hampshire • Maine • & New York

9. Quote for the MDPH • “As a priority, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health plans to make sure that each municipality has at least one person trained from each of the following agencies

10. Funding & Administration • Funded by the Department of Homeland Security & CDC • The MDPH is the overall permit authority and overall administrator • A local administrator is the local permit authority and the local administrator • No Funding is required at the local level

11. Participants • Federal • CDC • DHS • EPA • DPH • DOJ • Can send Alerts to: State Agencies

12. Participants, CONT. • STATE • DPH (Mass Department of Public Health) • Mass DHS (Mass Department of Homeland Security) • MEMA (Mass Emergency Management Agency) • Mass DFS (Mass Department of Fire Safety) • Mass Highway • Massport • Div of Banks • Gov Legislature • Mass National Guard • Can send Alerts to: Other State Agencies and Local (city, town, county) Agency subscribers

13. Participants, CONT. • Local Administrator can send Alerts to: • Police • Fire • 1st Responders • Hospital • Communications • Public Health • Emergency Management • Elected Officials • Dept of Public Works & Highway Depts • Harbormasters

14. Participants, CONT. • and • Transportation • Utilities • Industry • American Red Cross • Safety • Schools • Long Term Care

15. How does it work ? • Go to the Internet

16. Method of DeliveryThe Message Initiator: • Step 1) Accesses the Internet • Step 2) Selects the recipients • Step 3) Selects message priority (H)(M)(L) • Step 4) Types the message • Step 5)Sends the message

17. Method of ReceiptThe Message Receiver: • Step 1) Answers telephone – Says “Hello” • Step 2) Inserts pin number • Step 3) Receives message

18. Benefits • Access to & Distribution or the most current Federal & State Intelligence • Access to the Productivity Suite

19. Part 2:Dukes County Emergency Notification SystemCourtesy of Dukes County • Dukes County Emergency Notification System- (DCENN) • An add-on benefit of belonging to the State-run HHAN

20. DCENN • How does it work? • Exactly the same as the State-run System except” • 1) The local administrator would be from a Dukes County Agency • 2) The message initiator function could be either top-down only (County to Town Department(s) and (County to non-aligned Agencies or Businesses) • or • the message initiator function could be both top-down (County to Towns) and lateral (Town “a” department(s) to town “b” department(s) • 3) No Funding is required by the County or Towns

21. DCENNUses • Emergency Management • Hurricane & Winter Storm Response • Initial Alerts to all towns and County Departments • Coordination during hurricane or storm • Shelter coordination • Coordination of Disaster Damage Assessment Teams • Haz Mat Response • Initial Alerts to all towns and County Departments • Coordination during Incident • Responder coordination • Coordination of Disaster Damage Assessment Teams • Mass Casualty Incidents • Initial Alerts to all towns and County Departments • Coordination during the incident • Inter-departmental coordination • Mass Vaccination Dispensing Alerts • Mass call-out of dispensing site volunteers • Initial Alerts to all towns and County Departments • Coordination during the vaccination phase • Responder coordination • Coordination of Follow-on actions

22. DCENNUses, cont. • and • Simultaneous, Secure Communication & Coordination between Emergency Management and • All Town Emergency Managers, all Town Departments, and elected officials • MV Hospital • MV Airport • SSA • County Search & Rescue • MASS State Highway • Mass Vaccination Dispensing Sites • Temporary Morgue • Dukes County Communication Center • Ham Radio Operators • MEMA • Others

23. DCENNUses, cont. • Dukes County Communication Center • 1) Provides a way to phone multiple agencies with a single entry on the Internet • 2) provides a secure non-radio communicating device for those incidents that require secrecy or which require perimeter set-up prior to public knowledge of an incident

24. DCENNUses, cont. • Dukes County Mobile Command Post • 1) For use during incident when Communication Security is required • 2) For use when cross jurisdictional communication is required

25. DCENNFAQ • Does any other County or Town use the HAN in this way? • NO, we would be the first to set up a Local Alert Network (LAN • I outlined this project to the MDPH and was given permit authority to form this LAN. • They gave me the permission because, for their benefit, it would get the officials of all 7 Dukes County towns on the Massachusetts HAN and it could prove to other counties and Towns that the HAN also has a local level use.

26. DCENNUses, cont. • Benefits • 1) Solves cross-jurisdictional communications problems • 2) Simultaneous Communications and dispatch • 3) Confidentiality • 4) Rapid Communications • 5) Receiver does not need computer access • 6) Simple to operate • 7) No cost to County • 8) Receipt of message notification to originator