Information for Wisconsin
Date & Time: November 9, 2011, at 1:00PM CST.
Purpose: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will test the legacy Emergency Alert System (EAS), not the newer Common Alerting Protocol capability (CAP). [CAP will be tested in the future.]
Length of Test: Between 3 and 3 ½ minutes. [Normal EAS messages are limited to 2 minutes, so this test must be longer than 2 minutes to test that EAS units fully pass the President’s unrestricted-length message.]
Effect on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR): The test will not be carried or broadcast on NWR. NWS and FEMA are working on improvements that include NWS receiving the national audio message and broadcasting it over the NWR network. During the national EAS test, NWS will demonstrate the interfaces for receiving and capturing EAN live-code and audio messages. NWR Improvement Project (WRIP) Phase II will be installed in the NWS Telecommunications Operations Center and at NWS offices nationwide through 2012. After those improvements are complete, NWS will install updates which include capability to broadcast the EAN live code and audio from FEMA over all NWR stations
Effect on RMTs and RWTs: The National EAS Test will take the place of the Required Monthly Test (RMT) – no RMT will be conducted in November by the National Weather Service (NWS) offices that service Wisconsin. The Required Weekly Test (RWT), normally conducted by Wisconsin NWS offices each Wednesday, will be moved up to Tuesday, Nov. 8th.
What EAS Originator Code Is Used?: It will be Primary Entry Point (PEP).
What EAS Location Code is Used?: EAS Location Code will be Washington, DC. [Equipment manufacturers have said this will not be an issue, and no EAS unit re-programming is necessary.
What EAS Product Codes are Used?: The test will consist of the Emergency Action Notification (EAN) code followed by the audio message and finishing with the End of message (EOM) code. Emergency Action Termination (EAT) code will not be used
Whose Voice Will be in the Test?: The test will not use the President’s voice.
How will the Test be Disseminated?: The test will be disseminated nationwide through an NPR (National Public Radio) satellite channel as well as over a network of specially-designated Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations. The Wisconsin EAS Network will likely get its feed from NPR, but the test will also originate on WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s state PEP station.
On what systems will the test be heard or seen?: The EAS test message will be heard on commercial radio, and seen on local, cable, and satellite TV.
Purpose: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will test the legacy Emergency Alert System (EAS), not the newer Common Alerting Protocol capability (CAP). [CAP will be tested in the future.]
Length of Test: Between 3 and 3 ½ minutes. [Normal EAS messages are limited to 2 minutes, so this test must be longer than 2 minutes to test that EAS units fully pass the President’s unrestricted-length message.]
Effect on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR): The test will not be carried or broadcast on NWR. NWS and FEMA are working on improvements that include NWS receiving the national audio message and broadcasting it over the NWR network. During the national EAS test, NWS will demonstrate the interfaces for receiving and capturing EAN live-code and audio messages. NWR Improvement Project (WRIP) Phase II will be installed in the NWS Telecommunications Operations Center and at NWS offices nationwide through 2012. After those improvements are complete, NWS will install updates which include capability to broadcast the EAN live code and audio from FEMA over all NWR stations
Effect on RMTs and RWTs: The National EAS Test will take the place of the Required Monthly Test (RMT) – no RMT will be conducted in November by the National Weather Service (NWS) offices that service Wisconsin. The Required Weekly Test (RWT), normally conducted by Wisconsin NWS offices each Wednesday, will be moved up to Tuesday, Nov. 8th.
What EAS Originator Code Is Used?: It will be Primary Entry Point (PEP).
What EAS Location Code is Used?: EAS Location Code will be Washington, DC. [Equipment manufacturers have said this will not be an issue, and no EAS unit re-programming is necessary.
What EAS Product Codes are Used?: The test will consist of the Emergency Action Notification (EAN) code followed by the audio message and finishing with the End of message (EOM) code. Emergency Action Termination (EAT) code will not be used
Whose Voice Will be in the Test?: The test will not use the President’s voice.
How will the Test be Disseminated?: The test will be disseminated nationwide through an NPR (National Public Radio) satellite channel as well as over a network of specially-designated Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations. The Wisconsin EAS Network will likely get its feed from NPR, but the test will also originate on WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s state PEP station.
On what systems will the test be heard or seen?: The EAS test message will be heard on commercial radio, and seen on local, cable, and satellite TV.