CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to The City of Seattle’s (City) emergency notification and alerting system; establishing AlertSeattle as the City’s emergency notification and alerting system; adopting policies governing the use thereof including administrative guidelines and a governance charter; and repealing Ordinance Number 122527.
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WHEREAS, in 2007, The City of Seattle (City) adopted Ordinance Number 122527 relating to the Community Notification System for the City, adopting usage policies and providing direction on implementation guidelines for the use of the system; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, the Mayor proposed and the City Council approved funding to replace the Community Notification System; and
WHEREAS, beginning in July 2014, the Office of Emergency Management initiated a competitive procurement process to select a vendor to provide the City with an emergency notification and alerting system to be known as AlertSeattle; a contract was signed with the selected vendor on January 23, 2015; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor's Emergency Executive Board and Disaster Management Committee advise the Mayor and Director of Emergency Management in policy level issues related to emergency mitigation, prevention, protection, preparedness, response or recovery, AlertSeattle is another policy that would benefit from their review; and
WHEREAS, City departments and offices should follow the guidance set forth in the AlertSeattle policies approved by the Emergency Executive Board and included in the City's Emergency Operations Plan; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Ordinance 122527, a copy of which is attached as Attachment A, is repealed, along with associated policies and guidelines for the operation of the Community Notification System, a copy of which is attached as Attachment B.
Section 2. The City Council adopts the following policies governing use of The City of Seattle’s new emergency notification and alerting system, AlertSeattle:
A. The AlertSeattle system may be used to send warnings and time-sensitive information to residents, businesses, organizations, and public agencies before, during, and after an emergency event when people are asked to take emergency action.
B. The AlertSeattle system may be used to rapidly mobilize emergency responders and to alert City employees of emergencies that affect the workplace.
C. The AlertSeattle system may be used to send urgent non-emergency information regarding disruption of services, road closures, and other advisories that contribute to the overall public safety and health of the community.
D. Messages sent through the notification system must be clear, concise, accurate, and informative.
Section 3. The “AlertSeattle Seattle Notification and Alerting System Use Policy and Guidelines, revised 5/13/2015,” which is attached as Attachment C, and the “AlertSeattle Implementation, Operations and Management Governance Charter, Revision 1.2: May 13, 2015,” which is attached as Attachment D, are adopted as administrative and implementation guidelines for AlertSeattle. The Office of Emergency Management may submit to the Mayor future modifications to the administrative and implementation guidelines provided that they remain consistent with the policies adopted in Section 2 of this ordinance. The guidelines shall, at minimum, include the following components:
A. Procedures for authorizing the use of AlertSeattle and approving outbound messages;
B. A process for maintaining a record of outbound calls that includes the date, time, purpose, description of call recipients and the message delivered; and
C. A system for authorizing the use of AlertSeattle that prioritizes various levels of emergency circumstances based on their severity.
Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ____ day of ________________________, 2015, and
signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this
_____ day of ___________________, 2015.
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President __________of the City Council
Approved by me this ____ day of _____________________, 2015.
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Edward B. Murray, Mayor
Filed by me this ____ day of __________________________, 2015.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Ordinance 122527
Attachment B - Use of Community Notification System Policy
Attachment C - AlertSeattle Use Policy and Guidelines
Attachment D - AlertSeattle Governance Charter