Together with Luzerne County EMA (LCEMA) and Columbia County EMA (CCEMA) decided to update alert and notification methods for nuclear emergencies to align them with those used for other emergencies. The changes have been approved by FEMA and the NRC and will be implemented April 1, 2025. The updates make wireless notifications from FEMA’s IPAWS-WEA system the primary alert method, replacing sirens, and change the backup alert method to CodeRED, moving route alerting to the tertiary method. IPAWS-WEA and other wireless notification systems (CodeRED) can provide alerts and notifications (instructions) simultaneously for a faster response. An overview of current alert and future alert and notification methods follows.
| Current | Future – Starting April 1, 2025 |
| Primary Alert – Sirens | Primary Alert – IPAWS-WEA |
| Primary Notification – EAS | Primary Notification – EAS |
| Backup Alert – Route Alerting | Backup Alert – CodeRED Mass Notification |
| Backup Notification – EAS | Backup Notification – Mass notification (CodeRED) |
| Tertiary Alert and Notification – Route Alerting |
Both IPAWS-WEA and CodeRED are proven systems used by other emergency management agencies in the U.S. for many years and have been used by LCEMA and CCEMA for a number of years as well. The change designates systems already used in the community for emergencies as primary methods within the plan for nuclear emergencies.
To sign up for CodeRED for emergency alerts please use the instructions in the attached document.
