2019 IPAWS National Test
FEMA,
in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and radio
and television Emergency Alert System (EAS) participants, will conduct a
nationwide test of EAS beginning at 2:20 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 7th, 2019.
A backup date is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21st, 2019, if needed.
The test, which uses IPAWS, is a key way to assess the operational
readiness of the Nation’s alert and warning infrastructures for distribution of
a national message and determine whether technological improvements are
warranted.
Public
safety officials need to be sure that they are able to get urgent, life-saving
alerts to the public in times of an emergency or disaster. This year’s test
will evaluate the readiness of our national alerting capability in the absence
of internet connectivity, focusing on the capability of EAS radio and
television providers to distribute a test message nationwide.
The
2019 IPAWS National Test of EAS will broadcast a test message that is
approximately one minute long. Broadcast radio and television, cable, wireline
service providers, and direct broadcast satellite service providers will each
broadcast the test message once within a few minutes of the test. The national
EAS test message will look and sound very much like the regular Required
Monthly Test messages broadcast by all EAS participants.
This
will be the first time since the adoption of the National Periodic Test (NPT)
EAS Event Code that FEMA has conducted a nationwide EAS test using the NPT code
and initiation of the test message from the National Public Warning System
component of IPAWS.
The
EAS test message is expected to have limited impact on the public with only a
minor interruption to regular radio and television programs. The EAS test message
will be: “THIS IS A TEST
of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast
and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the Federal Communication Commission, and local authorities
to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual
emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at
the start of this message. No action is required."
The
FCC requires all EAS Participants – that is, radio and television broadcasters,
cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video
providers – to participate in this test and collects data through the EAS Test
Reporting System.
The
FEMA IPAWS program continues to examine how to make the test message and all
alert and warning messages more accessible to those with access and functional
needs, and with limited English proficiency. Due to technical limitations of
the aural only over-the-air EAS relay that will be used for this year’s test,
there will be no supporting English or Spanish full message text display on
television screens.
Please
contact the IPAWS Program Management Office at IPAWS@fema.dhs.gov if you have any
questions.
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