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At the Federal Communications Commission's June 9, 2011 Agenda meeting, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett, joined by representatives from FEMA and the National Weather Service, announced that the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) would take place at 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism. EAS Participants currently participate in state-level monthly tests and local-level weekly tests, but no top-down review of the entire system has ever been undertaken. The Commission, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will use the results of this nationwide test to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism, and will work together with EAS stakeholders to make improvements to the system as appropriate.
The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will occur on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 2 p.m. eastern standard time. The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that while the EAS is frequently used by state and local governments to send weather alerts and other emergencies, there has never been a national activation of the system.
Although the national EAS test may resemble the periodic EAS tests that most Americans are familiar with, there will be differences in what people will see and hear. During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” However, the video test message scroll may not be the same nor use the words “This is a test.” Therefore, it is important for emergency responders to be familiar with the test and review the EAS Test Toolkit (PDF, 806 Kb).
EAS participants include all broadcasters, satellite and digital radio and television, cable television, and wireline video providers. Future testing of the EAS will assess the effectiveness and reliability of other technologies to achieve the ultimate goal of timely alert and warning to the American public in the preservation of life and property. Two videos about the upcoming test are available on the FEMA Blog.
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