EAS

September was National Emergency Preparedness Month—a time for national, tribal, state and local governments to assess their emergency readiness and remind the public about the importance of emergency preparedness. Throughout the month, public safety and government agencies offered a plethora of information on the Web and other sources about how families can adequately prepare for disasters.

But all the planning in the world won’t matter if consumers don’t have access to timely and accurate emergency alerts. That’s why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are taking steps to strengthen the nation’s Emergency Alert System (EAS). As part of this effort, on Nov. 9, 2011, at 2 p.m. EST, the first-ever, nationwide system test will take place.

In existence since 1994, the EAS is an alert and warning system designed to transmit emergency alerts and warning to the public at the national, state and local levels. EAS participants broadcast alerts and warnings regarding weather, child abductions and other types of emergencies. Alerts are transmitted via radio and TV broadcast stations, cable television and other media services. The purpose of the Nov. 9 test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the system as a way to alert the public during nationwide emergencies.

Although local and state components of the EAS are tested on a weekly and monthly basis, there has never been an end-to-end nationwide test or a national activation of the system. We need to know the system will work as intended should public safety officials ever need to send an alert or warning to a large region of the U.S. Only a top-down, simultaneous test of all components of the EAS on a nationwide basis can do this.

On Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. EST, FEMA will transmit the EAS code for national emergencies. The EAS code and alert will be rebroadcast by broadcast stations and other service providers until it has been distributed throughout the entire country and U.S. territories. FEMA and the FCC are taking a number of steps to prepare for this historic test. Both agencies are conducting various outreach activities to educate public safety and other government agencies about the test. In addition, the FCC has established a web page dedicated to the test that can be found at www.fcc.gov/pshs. Both agencies plan to work with EAS stakeholders to educate the public in advance of the test.

What can public safety do to help? The FCC suggests a number of steps, including:

• Getting the word out about the Nov. 9 test to state, tribal and local 911 call centers and first responder agencies, and any other government agencies as appropriate;
• Working with EAS participants in your state to ensure that your state’s EAS plan is up to date; and
• Participating in monthly tests of your state’s EAS.

The FCC notes that although the EAS test will be initiated by FEMA, state, tribal and local governments can use the test as an opportunity to educate appropriate public safety and other government officials and staff about the EAS, how it works, when it should be activated, etc. Finally, the FCC asks public safety and other government officials to help inform residents within your jurisdictions in advance of the test, so that they will know what to expect. Although the nationwide test will be similar to the monthly and weekly tests that the public is used to, there will be some differences. For example, the Nov. 9 test will be longer than the usual two-minute monthly test and last approximately three minutes.

Additional information can be found at the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau website at www.fcc.gov/pshs. The Nationwide EAS Test Countdown has begun. Are you ready?

Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Public Safety Commnunications. It was contributed by the FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau. Posted with permission.