Knox County residents will want to know about an alert heading to their phones Monday morning — and it is on purpose.
The Knox County Emergency Management Agency will conduct a live test of the newly implemented Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, known as IPAWS, at 10 a.m. Monday, March 9.
Before that test, Galesburg Fire Chief and KCEMA Coordinator Randy Hovind and Deputy Chief Brock Schmitt will join WGIL Galesburg’s Morning News live in studio at 8:10 a.m. Monday to explain the new system and what residents can expect.
What is IPAWS?
IPAWS is a FEMA system that allows emergency management officials to send Wireless Emergency Alerts directly to cell phones, as well as Emergency Alert System messages to radio and television simultaneously — even when cellular networks are congested. No registration or app is required. All mobile devices within the affected area will automatically receive an alert during a real emergency.
The system replaces Knox County’s previous alert system, CodeRED. Residents who previously downloaded the CodeRED app may delete it.
“Our top priority is the safety of our residents,” Hovind said. “Implementing IPAWS gives us the ability to provide critical, time-sensitive information, such as evacuation orders, flash flood warnings, or shelter-in-place instructions, directly to your phone. When time matters most, this technology will save lives.”
About Monday’s test
The test alert will be clearly marked as a test message. Residents who receive it do not need to take any action.
Some residents may not receive the test message at all — many mobile devices are configured by default to skip test alerts. If you do not receive the message, it does not mean your phone is broken or that you will not receive actual emergency alerts in the future.
IPAWS alerts are targeted to individuals in the immediate vicinity of a danger, which officials say will help avoid alert fatigue for those not affected by a specific emergency. The system will be used only for severe, life-threatening events requiring immediate action.
More information about emergency preparedness in Knox County is available at the City of Galesburg website. Residents can also follow the KCEMA Facebook page at facebook.com/KCAlertNetwork.
