The US Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced last week they will conduct the first ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, November 9 at 2 pm eastern standard time.
The test may last up to three and a half minutes.
The EAS is a national alert and warning system established to enable the President of the United States to address the American public during emergencies. It is also used by NOAA's National Weather Service, governors and state and local emergency authorities for the issuance of more localized emergency alerts.
The nationwide test will involve broadcast radio and television stations, cable television, satellite radio and television services and wireline video service providers across all states and the territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
"The upcoming national test is critical to ensuring that the EAS works as designed," said Jamie Barnett, Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. "As recent disasters here at home and in Japan have reminded us, a reliable and effective emergency alert and warning system is key to ensuring the public's safety during times of emergency. We look forward to working with FEMA in preparation for this important test."
In a blog post accompanying the announcement Barnett wrote, “For the test, FEMA will trigger the EAS 'cascade' architecture by transmitting the EAS code used for national level emergencies to the first level of broadcast stations in the national-level of the EAS, which in turn will rebroadcast the alert to the general public, as well as to the next level of EAS Participants monitoring them. This should continue through all levels of the system until the alert has been distributed throughout the entire county.
Barnett said that the FCC would be providing more details about the test in a subsequent notice. He added that the agencies chose that November date because hurricane season would be winding down, but winter not yet begun, with its associated “holiday rush.”
"A national test of our Emergency Alert System, with the vital communications support and involvement of participants, is a step towards ensuring that the alert and warning community is prepared to deliver critical information that can help save lives and protect property," said Damon Penn, FEMA's Assistant Administrator of National Continuity Programs.
Penn said "because there has never been an activation of the Emergency Alert System on a national level, FEMA views this test as an excellent opportunity to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the current system."
Penn noted that "it is important to remember that this is not a pass or fail test, but a chance to establish a baseline for making incremental improvements to the Emergency Alert System with ongoing and future testing. It is also important to remember that the Emergency Alert System is one of many tools in our communications toolbox, and we will continue to work on additional channels that can be a lifeline of information for people during an emergency."
The test will mark the culmination of a two years effort involving FEMA, the FCC and other federal partners, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, Emergency Alert System participants and other stakeholders.
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