Emergency Alerting System Nationwide Test

[Richard B the EMT]

Please spread the word, especially to those working 9-1-1 call recieving centers, in the US and Canada.

Thanks.

Richard B, the EMT.

Emergency Management and Response

Information Sharing and Analysis Center

(EMR-ISAC)

INFOGRAM 44-11 (November 3, 2011)

Nationwide Test of the Emergency Alert System

(Source: FEMA, Federal Communications Commission)

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.

DISCLAIMER OF ENDORSEMENT

The U.S. Fire Administration/EMR-ISAC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.

FAIR USE NOTICE

This INFOGRAM may contain copyrighted material that was not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. EMR-ISAC personnel believe this constitutes “fair use” of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material contained within this document for your own purposes that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

REPORTING NOTICE

DHS and the FBI encourage recipients of this document to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to the local FBI office and also the State or Major Urban Area Fusion Center. FBI phone numbers can be found online at http://www.fbi.gov/content/fo/fo.htm. Fusion Center information can be seen at http://www.dhs.gov/contact-fusion-centers.

For information specifically affecting the private sector critical infrastructure, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC) by telephone at 202-282-9201 or by e-mail at NICC@dhs.gov.

When available, each report submitted should include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people, equipment type used for the activity, the name of the name of submitting person and organization, and a designated point of contact.

[Richard B the EMT]

Bumping up with roughly 18 hours before event.

[Chief1C]

I got this from EMA a couple weeks ago. I can't wait for the mass panic myself. What would really be clutch, would be like a grass fire at the same time, so the siren goes off. That would just fully exploit the situation!

[Just Plain Ruff]

I was listening to a Michigan news program and they explained how it was going ot happen.

they are using the old legacy system which in the past has worked really well on local disaster and weather related issues but has not been tried nationally in over 20 years.

What happens is a guy in washington flips a switch so to speak, a signal goes out to about 60 master stations across the country. There is one or two master stations in each state.

Those master stations are then tasked with notifying and making sure that all other stations in the state are alerted. He says it's like the old shampoo comercial where one picture of the hot girl cuts to 4 and then to 8 and then to 64 and so on and so on.

Every station in the state and the USA are supposed to be alerted within minutes of the first switch being pulled.

The FCC and Homeland security and Fema are all going to keep records of how this went. All the stations, radio and television and cable stations are supposed to broadcast this emergency message and to keep records and reports on how things went.

In 30 days or so(1 year in government speak) a report will be issued by the FCC on how well this 30 year old legacy system worked.

It sounds like a monumental task to get this done. I'll be watching to see if the old technology still works.

[Richard B the EMT]

RuffEMS, you say they have not done this type test in 30 years? Per the FEMA and FCC stuff I've seen, they've never tested the entire system like this, ever. They should have, but have not.

Anyway, we'll see, when they review this on the network newscasts tonight.

[Richard B the EMT]

I just reviewed my statements, and just realized, this is the Emergency Alert System. I presume that the Civil Defence Agencies that preceeded the EAS, known then as the Emergency Broadcasat System, may have done nationwide testing during the 1950s through the early 1970s, using the then State Of The Art technology available.

I do recall, from 1959 through 1966, NYC Board Of Education protocols for Air Raid Drills, where we'd be moved from classrooms to the hallways, sitting backs to the walls in as many tight rows as possible,with our coats covering our heads, leaving open a lane down the middle of the corridor, on the sounding of the big siren on the school roof.

I dare say that if the siren should sound today, the only action most of the population would take, would be to contact the LEOs to complain about the noise.

[Just Plain Ruff]

RuffEMS, you say they have not done this type test in 30 years? Per the FEMA and FCC stuff I've seen, they've never tested the entire system like this, ever. They should have, but have not.

Anyway, we'll see, when they review this on the network newscasts tonight.

You are right but I was just repeating what this guy interviewed on Michigans radio station was saying. They haven't done this nationwide ever but they test this system every week or month on a local basis. it seems to work on a local basis but with no prior testing nationally ever, it might work or it might not.

By the way, the test starts in 70 minutes I believe.

Edited November 9, 2011 by Ruffems

[speedygodzilla]

It worked on my end. Saw the alert while eating lunch. I added to the end while reading out loud. "This is only a test. REMAIN CALM!"

[Richard B the EMT]

My observation, which was the same as mentioned on the 5 PM newscast on WCBS-HDTV2 NY, was, the sound was distorted (on WCBS-HDTV2) and almost nonexistant on WCBS 880 AM radio. Not mentioned was, while the NOAA US Weather Service radios had my reciever going crazy during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, they didn't broadcast on their frequencies, which surprised me immensely.

[jessiemiller]

I think there's no harm on trying this test if it is for the general welfare. This system can be used by either the state or local authorities to convey considerable emergency information like child abduction and weather forecast to a specific location.It allocates participating providers to send and receive information as quickly and automatically as possible, it even works even though facilities are unattended. For the very first time ever, the Countrywide Emergency Alert System will be fully tested on Nov. 9. This test will cover all radio, television, satellite radio and broadcast satellite suppliers; location-aware alert systems that concentrate on wireless programs are due to come online in 2012. I found this here:National Emergency Alert System test planned for Nov. 9.