• Background on the Emergency Alert System
• Nationwide Emergency Alert System Post-Test Information
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Nationwide Test
• EAS Best Practices Guide

Background on the Emergency Alert System

Resilient public alert and warning tools are essential to save lives and protect property during times of local, state, regional, and national emergency.  The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is one of the many means used by alerting authorities to send warnings via broadcast, cable, satellite, and wireline communications pathways.  EAS Participants, which consist of broadcast, cable, satellite, and wireline providers, are the stewards of this important public service in close partnership with alerting officials at all levels of government.  The EAS is also used when all other means of alerting the public are unavailable, providing an added layer of resiliency to the suite of available emergency communication tools.  The EAS is in a constant state of improvement to assure seamless integration of CAP-based and emerging technologies.

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Post-Test Information

On Wednesday November 9th, 2011 the first-ever Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test was conducted across the United States and territories at 2:00 PM Eastern. The purpose of the test was to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the system for the President to address the public during times of extreme national emergency. Radio and television broadcasters, cable, satellite, and wireline providers across the country (commonly known as EAS Participants) participated in the test.

FEMA originated an Emergency Action Notification (EAN) simultaneously to 61 Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations that serve as national-level relay points. These PEP stations rebroadcasted the message in their coverage area to local primary stations and other monitoring stations. The test was not a pass or fail measure, but an exercise to proactively identify mitigation strategies and address the limitations of the current EAS. Although the test message was heard and seen by millions of Americans, many technical areas were identified for improvement, including audio quality, state monitoring assignments and designations, and EAS device configuration. An important lesson learned from the first-ever test was that when all technical areas are properly addressed, the National EAS functions as intended and can be improved.

Future testing of EAS will incrementally integrate other technologies that are Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-based for a more resilient and effective system.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Nationwide Test

What technical issues were observed in the November 9th EAS Test?

A technical malfunction occurred at the National Primary level that introduced a second set of EAN headers into the system. This affected the audio quality for many downstream stations and in some cases, resulted in duplicated messages or muted the audio test message. Due to the technical malfunction, an echo effect in the message was heard and preceded by several EAS tones.

How is FEMA mitigating and addressing these issues?

FEMA is very committed to mitigating these issues through scientific testing at the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) laboratory. The technical malfunction that occurred has already been addressed and FEMA will continue to make improvements through regular exercising and testing of the system.

What were the key successes of the Test?

The test revealed several successes:

• All Primary Entry Point stations were connected during the test and over 90 percent were able to receive and relay the EAS message.
• The majority of EAS participants across the country were able to receive and relay the test message.
• Active participation of the EAS community assisted in station and facility-level improvements before and after the test.
• The EAS community took a proactive role in informing a FEMA IPAWS EAS Best Practices Guide and providing public information on the test.
• The test elevated public awareness, providing important information on EAS within the landscape of public alert and warning.

What were the key lessons learned?

The test revealed some key lessons learned:

• Outreach to the EAS community was essential to communicate expectations, develop EAS device best practices, and reinforce the purpose of testing.
• When all technical areas of the system are properly addressed, the National EAS functions as intended and can be improved.
• Regular and frequent testing of EAS is essential to identify mitigation strategies for a more resilient and effective system.
• EAS improvement is a process that takes time and requires a coordinated effort of diverse participants at multiple levels with varying roles and responsibilities.
• Coordinated state and territory-wide EAS Tests in Alaska, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Nevada were essential to understand the limitations of EAS well in advance of the Test.

What were the National Test results?

Initial reports indicate that around 80 percent of EAS Participants across the country were able to receive and relay the test message. Please visit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for information and updates.

When will the government conduct the next Nationwide EAS test? What other technologies will be integrated into the next test?

In coordination with the FCC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other federal partners, FEMA is committed to communicating the next test date and is currently in the planning and coordination phase. Future EAS testing will integrate other technologies for a more resilient and effective system.

What other outreach and engagement activities can we expect before the next Test?

FEMA, in coordination with the federal partners and EAS community, will continue to provide timely information updates through virtual roundtables, webinars, conferences, and other events. Please visit our Events page for more information.

What is the purpose of the next Test?

The next test will assess the effectiveness of mitigation strategies and improvement approaches. FEMA is committed to communicating the future of testing and is currently in the planning and coordination phase. FEMA, in coordination with the federal partners and EAS community, will also continue to provide timely information updates through virtual roundtables, webinars, conferences, and other events. Please visit our Events page for more information.

EAS Best Practices Guide

The EAS Best Practices Guide was created in partnership with EAS Participants to support incremental improvements by providing basic guidelines for EAS operation and maintenance.

EAS Best Practices Guide (PDF 995KB, TXT 108KB)

Return to the FEMA IPAWS Home Page.