Emergency Communications (EMTEL);Requirements for communications from authorities/organizations to individuals, groups or the general public during emergencies

Recent world events have created a heightened social focus on public protection and general public safety. Actions such as the Universal Service Directive requiring the European emergency call number (112) to be enhanced with the provision of caller location and the Seveso II Directive aimed at the prevention of major accidents involving dangerous substances highlight this focus. Special consideration may have to be given to the elderly, the disabled and the young people. An annotated bibliography of documents dealing with human factors can be found in ETSI SR 001 996. The provision of effective communication is one of the most important duties of a public authority towards its citizens. An important component required to meet this duty is the ability for Authorities to communicate with citizens during times of emergency. Authorities and emergency response teams need to warn and inform the public in times of crisis and therefore is required to have effective, high quality communication methods and systems to meet this need. The responsibility for emergency response or disaster-related communications is addressed differently from country to country. In most cases, the parties responsible for warning and informing the public follow the country's administrative structures with coordinators at both the local and national levels, as well as across multiple disciplines and departments. The present document catalogues the requirements on warning and informing the public as seen by the Emergency Services Community and looks at the technologies and methods available to do this, and also addresses IoT devices that act upon receiving a (specific) warning message.