Many Americans were faced with two crises in recent weeks — the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the arrival of Hurricane Isais — that, according to former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, only further stressed the importance of local broadcast and media to the communities they serve and reinforced the need for Congress to provide financial relief to these outlets.
FEMA Cancels 2020 National EAS Test
The Federal Emergency Management Association says it will not conduct a national test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) via the broadcast Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert system this year.
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2019—FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wed., Aug. 7, 2019. The nationwide test will be sent to radio and television stations beginning at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The test is being conducted through FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. This year, the test message […]
Next National EAS Test Is Aug. 7, Has A Twist
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has scheduled the next nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System for Aug. 7 at 2:20 p.m. FEMA says this year’s test will differ from the nationwide tests that have been conducted over the past several years in that it will be issued through the National Public Warning System, composed of FEMA-designated Primary Entry Point facilities, to test the readiness of the EAS to function in the absence of internet connectivity.
National EAS, WEA Test Postponed
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the FCC, announced Monday morning that the National Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts tests scheduled for this Thursday, Sept. 20, have been postponed due to “ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Florence.”
EAS, WEA National Tests Scheduled For Sept. 20
Exclusives
FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) has notified the FCC that it will be conducting the next nationwide test of the EAS system on Sept. 27 (with a back-up date of Oct. 4 — in the event potential real emergencies make the earlier date one that could cause confusion). The FCC has updated its reporting system for stations to provide information about the success of the test, and should be better able to track station’s participation in the test. Thus, to make sure that you can report a successful test, this is a good time for stations to insure that they are monitoring the correct EAS sources as required by their state EAS plan, that they have their online EAS CAPS alert systems functional, and that they are properly receiving, conducting and logging their weekly and monthly tests.
The first national test of the emergency alert system in five years — and the first ever using the IPAWS infrastructure as an overlay on EAS — has been deemed a success based on initial feedback from the field.
FEMA Sets Date For Nationwide EAS Test
If you participate in the Emergency Alert System, it’s time to get out your calendars and circle Wednesday, Sept. 28 — because we now know that that’s the day on which our friends at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are planning on conducting the second-ever nationwide test of the EAS.
At 2:20 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be conducting its latest regional EAS header code test in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Proponents of the ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV transmission standard say this week’s announcement that FEMA is testing the proposed AWARN television emergency alerting system component demonstrates federal recognition of the value of ATSC 3.0. (WRAL photo)
FEMA Launches AWARN Testing
Federal emergency managers are considering replacing their current custom-built system for notifying the public about emergencies with a commercial alternative, contracting documents show. The custom-built system, known as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks, or IPAWS-OPEN, has not met a slate of minimum standards, such as operating with 99.9% uptime and allowing the president and other officials to alert the public about emergencies within 10 minutes, according to contracting documents posted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday.
The Ad Council is using the second screen app for a campaign about emergency preparedness. “By integrating Shazam into this campaign, the Ad Council and FEMA will extend their message, providing additional facts, video and other resources that their audiences need to take action to prepare,” Shazam CEO Rich Riley says.
Slow Going Getting New EAS Up And Running
Broadcasters say they are set to implement the government’s latest Emergency Alert System requirements. However, before that can happen, the FCC needs to finish its analysis of last year’s nationwide test that turned up glitches. And the entire process is suffering from a lack of a requirement that state and local agencies participate.
The agencies want governors, federal legislators, broadcasters, news networks and other organizations to help spread the word about the Nov. 9 nationwide test.
Nov. 9 National EAS Test Shortened
FEMA has indicated that the audio of the Nov. 9 national EAS test is being shortened from its original 2.5 minutes to 30 seconds. Originally, the government had indicated the entire test would run as long as 3.5 minutes, but current indications are that the shortened audio will reduce the length of the overall EAS test to 45-60 seconds.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the FCC will conduct the first national test of the country’s Emergency Alert System on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. ET. The duration may be up to three-and-a-half minutes.
