[Colorado-talk] FEMA Test of Emergency Alert System October 3rd, 2018

Tue Oct 2 19:42:57 UTC 2018

Good Afternoon,
I am pretty sure all of us have a cell phone or will be near a TV or radio
tomorrow. You may hear a familiar tone in the Emergency Alert System is
being tested. Here are the details. Link to FEMA at the bottom.

Nationwide Emergency Alert Test Planned for Oct. 3; Test Messages Will be
Sent to Cell Phones, TV and Radio
Release date:
October 2, 2018
Release Number:
HQ-18-139

WASHINGTON – FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications
Commission, will conduct a nationwide test
<http://fema.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d%3b03%2fA%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=IN&RI=5395454&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=64162&Action=Follow+Link>
of
the Emergency Alert System
<http://fema.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d%3b03%2fA%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=IN&RI=5395454&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=64161&Action=Follow+Link>
 and Wireless Emergency Alerts
<http://fema.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d%3b03%2fA%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=IN&RI=5395454&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=64160&Action=Follow+Link>
 on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. The WEA portion of the test, which will be
sent to consumer cell phones, will begin at 2:18 p.m. EDT. The EAS portion
of the test, which will be sent to radio and television, will follow at
2:20 p.m. EDT.  This will be the fourth nationwide EAS test and the first
nationwide WEA test. In light of the upcoming test, the agencies share the
following key informational points:

THE BASICS

   - WHY: The purpose of the test is to ensure that EAS and WEA are both
   effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those
   on the national level. Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems
   helps to assess the operational readiness of alerting infrastructure and to
   identify any needed technological and administrative improvements.
   - HOW: The EAS and WEA test messages will be sent using FEMA’s
   Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized
   Internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send
   authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple
   communications networks.
   - WHO: FEMA will administer the test, in cooperation with the FCC and
   the National Weather Service, and with the participation of the
   communications industry.
   - WHEN: October 3, 2018, beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT on cell phones and
   2:20 p.m. EDT on TV and radio. (This is the test back-up date; the
test was previously
   postponed
   <http://fema.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d%3b03%2fA%26JDG%3c%3a9%3a-%3b3%40%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=IN&RI=5395454&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=64159&Action=Follow+Link>
due
   to response efforts to Hurricane Florence.)

NATIONWIDE ALERT TEST TO CELL PHONES

   - THE WIRELESS ALERT TEST MESSAGE: The WEA test message will appear on
   consumers’ phones and read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless
   Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”  Phones will display this
   national test using the header “Presidential Alert.”  These nationwide
   alerts, established pursuant to the WARN Act of 2006, are meant for use in
   a national emergency and are the only type of alert that can be sent
   simultaneously nationwide by FEMA.
   - RECIPIENTS: Many members of the public will receive the WEA test
   message on their cell phones. Specifically, beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT,
   cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes.
   During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on,
   within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider
   participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.
   Wireless phones should receive the message only once.
   - BACKGROUND ON SYSTEM: The WEA system, launched in 2012, is used to
   warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other
   critical situations through alerts on cell phones. Alerts are created and
   sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial
   governmental agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers,
   which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To
   help ensure that WEA alerts are accessible to the entire public, including
   people with disabilities, WEA alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and
   vibration. The national WEA test will use the same special tone and
   vibration. In the event of a national emergency, a Presidential WEA alert
   would be issued at the direction of the President and/or his/her designee,
   and activated by FEMA.

NATIONWIDE TV AND RADIO ALERT TEST

   - TV & RADIO ALERT TEST: The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to
   last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation
   of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and
   television providers, and wireline video providers (“EAS participants”).
   - THE TV & RADIO TEST MESSAGE: The EAS test message will be similar to
   the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It
   will state: “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
   Communications 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. A similar wireless emergency alert test message has been sent to
   all cell phones nationwide. Some cell phones will receive the message;
   others will not. No action is required.”
   - BILINGUAL: The EAS test message will be transmitted in both English
   and Spanish, with EAS participants deciding which version to use for their
   communities.
   - BACKGROUND ON SYSTEM: Emergency alerts are created and sent by
   authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government
   agencies. EAS participants receive the alerts through IPAWS or through
   local “over the air” monitoring sources. EAS participants then disseminate
   the emergency alerts to affected communities. The FCC prescribes technical
   and procedural rules for communications providers’ participation in this
   process.

FEMA and the FCC have engaged in significant coordination with EAS
participants, wireless providers, emergency managers, and other
stakeholders in preparation for this EAS-WEA national test to minimize
confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test. The test is
intended to ensure public safety officials have the methods and systems
that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public in times of an
emergency or disaster, including requirements to help ensure that televised
EAS messages are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

###

*FEMA's mission is to help people prepare before, during and after
disasters.*

*Follow FEMA online at *www.fema.gov/blog
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*, *www.twitter.com/fema
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*, *www.twitter.com/FEMAespanol
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, https://www.facebook.com/FEMA
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, www.facebook.com/FEMAespanol
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* and *www.youtube.com/fema
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Also, follow Administrator Brock Long’s activities at *
www.twitter.com/fema_brock.

*The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not
endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.*
Last Updated:
October 2, 2018 - 12:12
Related State(s):
Headquarters <https://www.fema.gov/fema-regions/headquarters>

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2018/10/02/nationwide-emergency-alert-test-planned-oct-3-test-messages-will-be-sent
-- 

Rob Harris
Equal Access Collaborative
www.EqualAccessCollaborative.org
(970) 208-3100

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