Nationwide EAS Test Tomorrow

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FYI:

(copied from FCC webpage, http://www.fcc.gov/nationwideeastest) On November 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time1 (EST), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct the first-ever

nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability

and effectiveness of the EAS as a way to alert the public of national emergencies.

How will the nationwide EAS test be conducted? The nationwide EAS test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS), the three federal agencies that have EAS management responsibilities. FEMA is the arm of the DHS primarily responsible for developing national alert and warning functions. The FCC is an independent agency that grants licenses to or otherwise oversees EAS Participants. FCC rules regulate the transmission of EAS alerts. The NWS is a key player in the dissemination of local warnings via the EAS. The great majority of EAS alerts are NWS weather-related alerts.

On November 9, at 2 PM EST, FEMA will transmit the EAS code for national level emergencies to Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations in the national level of the EAS. The PEP stations will then rebroadcast the alert to the general public in their broadcast vicinity, as well as to the next level of EAS Participants monitoring them. This should continue through all levels of the system, until the national alert has been distributed throughout the entire country.

Pursuant to the FCC's rules, all EAS Participants must report back to the FCC on the results of this test, including whether, and from whom, they received the alert message and whether they rebroadcast it. FEMA and the FCC will study these results to determine if there are problems with the system and, if so, how best to remedy them. We anticipate that a nationwide test will be conducted periodically to ensure that the EAS is, and remains, functional.

FEMA and the FCC have already twice tested the EAS national code on a more limited basis, in the state of Alaska. The lessons learned from the Alaska tests will inform how the agencies conduct the nationwide test.

What will people hear and see during the test?

Although the Nationwide EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear, which is one reason for conducting a nationwide EAS test. Although the activation will include an audio message indicating that this is a test, a visual message indicating that "this is a test" may not appear on every television channel, especially for cable subscribers. This is due to the use of a "live" national code – the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. FEMA and the FCC are conducting outreach to the public, especially the deaf and hard of hearing, in advance of the test. Outreach will include specific information tailored to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing and will be readily available at online sites. In addition, FEMA and the FCC will continue to work with EAS Participants to explore possible solutions to address this limitation.

How long will the test last?

We anticipate that the test will last approximately 30 seconds.

For more info:

http://www.fema.gov/eastest/

http://www.fcc.gov/nationwideeastest

http://www.fema.gov/...s/eas_info.shtm

This message courtesy of, and thanks to:

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Dennis Reilly 2nd Assistant Chief Briarcliff Manor Fire Department 1111 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510