ISO 22328-1:2020

Overview

ISO 22328-1:2020 - Security and resilience - Emergency management - General guidelines for the implementation of a community-based disaster early warning system (EWS) - provides practical, non-prescriptive guidance for planning, establishing and sustaining community-based disaster early warning systems. The standard is intended for communities vulnerable to hazards (natural and human-made) and focuses on empowering local actors to detect hazards early, communicate warnings and activate timely responses. It does not address secondary or indirect effects of disasters.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 22328-1 organizes a community-based EWS into five core sub-systems and details methods, procedures and examples for each:

• Risk assessment

  • Conduct risk assessment in line with ISO 31000:2018.
  • Evaluate technical, institutional and socio‑economic/cultural vulnerabilities to identify high‑risk and safe zones.

• Dissemination and communication of knowledge

  • Develop clear, authoritative messaging, multi-channel outreach (traditional media and social media) and community education materials.
  • Tailor communication to local language, age groups and vulnerable populations.

• Monitoring and warning service

  • Deploy early detection devices in high-risk zones with appropriate, adaptive technology.
  • Coordinate equipment installation with authorities to ensure ownership, maintenance and data access rules.
  • Define alert levels and manage data collection, transfer, storage and conditional access for experts and the public.

• Response capability

  • Establish disaster preparedness teams, evacuation commands, shelters, evacuation maps/routes and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Plan and conduct evacuation drills and exercises to validate procedures and community reaction.

• Sustainability and governance

  • Secure commitment from authorities and communities for long-term operation, maintenance and funding of the EWS.

The standard includes informative annexes with sample disaster preparedness team structures, evacuation maps, warning flow schemes and SOP examples to support practical implementation.

Applications and who uses it

ISO 22328-1 is designed for:

• Local and municipal authorities and emergency managers
• Community leaders, disaster preparedness teams and NGOs
• Civil protection agencies and first responders
• Planners and resilience practitioners implementing community-based EWSs

Practical applications include designing community monitoring networks, creating evacuation plans and SOPs, organizing public education campaigns, and coordinating multi-stakeholder warning dissemination and drills.

Related standards and frameworks

• ISO 22300 (vocabulary)
• ISO 22322:2015 (public warning)
• ISO 22315:2014 (evacuation planning considerations)
• ISO 31000:2018 (risk management)
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (global policy alignment)

Keywords: ISO 22328-1:2020, community-based disaster early warning system, EWS, emergency management, disaster preparedness, monitoring and warning service, risk assessment, dissemination and communication, evacuation drill, community resilience.