News

The Emergency Management Agency of Jefferson County, AL (Birmingham) has contracted for the entire suite of W.A.R.N. services that will serve two-thirds of a million citizens in the region.

Under the agreement, Jefferson County EMA will orchestrate 75 entities including the County IT Department, Public Safety, Public Works and 37 cities onto a W.A.R.N. platform utilizing a full suite of services including W.A.R.N. Continuity, W.A.R.N. Command, W.A.R.N. Broadcast, W.A.R.N. Geo-Powered (ESRI – GIS mapping), W.A.R.N. Consulting and other professional services.

The agreement also lets additional Central Alabama counties join directly into the services for a small annual set-up and subscription fee. JeffCo EMA planned this to offer a wide range of communication, mobilization, planning and continuity tools for a fraction of the typical costs to Central Alabama counties.

Jefferson County at a Glance

Jefferson County (County Seat – Birmingham) is the most densely populated county in the State of Alabama. As of 2000 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 662,047. Jefferson County is the most populated and principal county in the Greater Birmingham area.

Jefferson County was established on December 13, 1819 by the Alabama legislature. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. The county is located in the north-central portion of the state, on the sourthern extension of the Appalachians, in the center of iron, coal and limestone belt of the South. Jefferson County is bordered by Blount, Bibb, St. Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Walker Counties. It encompasses 1,119 square miles.

Prince George’s County, Maryland, has expanded W.A.R.N. services under a multi-year agreement countywide and adds over a dozen county departments, agencies, and cities for a fraction of the costs for such services. The agreement includes public notification and separate command control mobilization services, GIS mapping, data management services and more.

Located in the heart of the Baltimore/Washington corridor, the County borders Washington D.C. and is just 37 miles south of the City of Baltimore, encompassing almost 500 square miles.

The initial agreement with W.A.R.N. covered services for the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Department of Environmental Resources.

The Office of Emergency Management is one of the agencies under the Office of Homeland Security and is responsible for the coordination of all County agencies, private organizations, businesses, persons, and other counties, cities and political subdivisions. The Agency ensures the complete utilization of all available resources to effectively and efficiently mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from any natural, technological or manmade emergency or disaster, regardless of size or complexity, including acts of terrorism.

The mission of the Department of Environmental Resources is to respond to the needs of the public by improving the quality of life through the enhancement and cultivation of the natural and created environment. Its programs, which are some of the most progressive in the Nation, work hand-in-hand with the County Executive’s Livable Communities Initiative (LCI) to provide healthy, safe, and clean communities for the citizens and residents of Prince George’s County.

Since the agreement expansion, the Department of Health and other agencies have added on.