Emergency Alert System to be Tested Wednesday

The Emergency Alert System is not a new concept, but on Wednesday afternoon it will have its largest usage during a nationwide test of the program.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at 2 p.m. the test will span the radio and television airwaves and last approximately 30 seconds. The system is regularly used at the state and local levels for weather and other emergency bulletins. 

Much like the regular tests there should be an audio message informing listeners and viewers that it is a test occurring and not a real emergency. Depending on the station there also should be a visual message reading "this is a test," according to the FCC. 

The FCC said the time and date of the test were chosen because it is near the end of hurricane season and the time will not interfere with rush hour traffic while still reaching a large number of people across the country.

Howell Township Office of Emergency Management Director Ron Sanasac said that while people may be familiar with the system, this will be a chance to see how effective it can be on a larger scale. He added that while the township is allowed to utilize the system under certain circumstances, it is designed for much larger scale events. 

The FCC said a test of this scale will help ensure that it is effective in emergency situations. "Ensuring that the EAS architecture functions properly will benefit emergency alerting at all levels of government," the website said. 

Regular tests of the system at the local and state level happen on a weekly and monthly basis according to the FCC, but in its 15 years of being operational it has never been tested at this level.

The FCC will be working together with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as the National Weather Service  on the test. The message used for the test will start at the national level and work its way to the local levels of the system. At that point the receiving locations will report back on how the message reached them. "FEMA and the FCC will study these results to determine if there are problems with the system, and if so how best to remedy them."

Sanasac said officials at the lower levels of the system were consulted on the plans for the system but that the actual implementation came from higher up the ladder. 

For more information on the test see this website.