This section contains information on the IPAWS Supported State and Regional Tests (ISSRT) of the public alert and warning systems across the country, benefits of testing, and testing initiatives.
IPAWS Supported State and Regional Tests (ISSRT) of Public Alert and Warning Systems
Why is the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Program Management Office (PMO) supporting tests of public alert and warning systems across the country?
Under Executive Order (EO) 13407, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) IPAWS PMO is entrusted to evaluate capabilities, close gaps, and implement a standard methodology for regularly testing the nation’s emergency alert and warning infrastructure.
The IPAWS PMO, along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), employs an incremental approach to periodically test IPAWS’ emergency communications pathways. The testing process is designed to evaluate the interoperability of IPAWS Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN) with state and local communications infrastructure and assess the operational readiness of the system’s architecture to ensure an effective and reliable system exists to provide timely and accurate alerts to the American public. After each test, an after-action report and improvement plan is created and incorporated into future testing to ensure continual advancement of alert and warning capabilities.
What are the benefits of testing?
The IPAWS PMO’s effort to implement a standard methodology for testing will improve alerting authorities’ ability to send effective, geo-targeted, actionable alerts and warnings before, during, and after an actual emergency. These coordinated, statewide testing activities support the IPAWS PMO’s effort to mitigate system limitations, improve IPAWS message delivery pathways, and encourage communication and strengthen relationships between the broadcast and emergency management communities. Another testing benefit for private sector alert and warning partners is that tests are conducted in a no-fault environment, meaning there is no enforcement action from the FCC based on distribution success or failure at the IPAWS Supported State and Regional Tests (ISSRT) level. Ultimately, the information obtained from these sequential assessments will increase awareness, understanding, and adoption of IPAWS by all partners.
Public Alert and Warning Testing Initiatives
Since 2010, the IPAWS PMO has supported numerous tests of public alert and warning capabilities at the local, county, state, regional, and territorial level and, in 2011, the PMO conducted the first-ever nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test across the U.S. and its territories. The purpose of the test was to assess the functionality of the legacy system for the President of the United States to address the public during times of extreme national emergency.
To conduct regular and comprehensive assessments of the capabilities and operational readiness of the nation’s alert and warning system, the IPAWS PMO developed a three-phase testing approach, referred to as the IPAWS National Test (INT).
- Phase I – Controlled test in the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) laboratory (Completed 2011)
- Phase II – Series of ISSRTs using the National Periodic Test (NPT) message event code
- Phase III – Live end-to-end INT
In 2014, the IPAWS PMO began organizing Phase II, or ISSRTs, in voluntary coordination with state broadcasting associations and emergency management agencies to assess the operational readiness of the alert and warning system for delivery of a national-level message from origination to reception by the American public. The main objectives for the ISSRTs are to assess the functionality of IPAWS’ communications pathways, institute test findings to serve as a standard methodology for future tests development, and facilitate relationships between state emergency management, state emergency communications chairs, Primary Entry Point (PEP) station engineers, tribal leaders, and the broadcast community.
On September 17, 2014, at 2:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), the IPAWS PMO conducted the first ISSRT with the State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, West Virginia State Emergency Communications Chair, and the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.
Subsequent to the West Virginia test findings, the IPAWS PMO initiated the ISSRT North Central, on March 18, 2015, with state broadcast associations, state emergency management communications chairs, and emergency management offices for the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The ISSRT North Central applied lessons learned from the West Virginia ISSRT to expand the number of participants and, as a result, the ISSRT North Central generated additional findings and recommendations.
In the fall of 2015, the IPAWS PMO coordinated two more ISSRTs. The first involved six New England states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island on September 16. The second was conducted on November 17 in cooperation with the state broadcast associations of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wisconsin and Minnesota. For each of these tests, JITC field observers captured audio and video files of the broadcast test message for further analysis.
The November test was originated from the exhibit hall floor of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Building on experience gained from previous testing, and in cooperation with a major Hispanic broadcasting group, the IPAWS PMO included both English- and Spanish-language audio messages and text. This marked the first time that IPAWS was used to deliver an alert in a single message that could be broadcast in either Spanish or English.
IPAWS regional testing will continue until broadcast and cable operators in all states and territories have had the opportunity to observe how their facilities process and broadcast incoming IPAWS alert messages. The next regional test to be conducted on June 15, 2016, will include nine states. The EAS test is made available to radio, broadcast and cable television systems, and is scheduled to last approximately one minute.
Full nationwide testing will begin following the implementation of new FCC Rules regarding National Periodic Test message handling and test reporting requirements.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with state, local, and tribal emergency managers and state broadcasters’ associations, will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in nine states on Wednesday, June 15, at 2:20pm MDT/1:20pm PDT.
In preparation for the June 15 test, FEMA will conduct a series of webinars providing a brief explanation of IPAWS, how IPAWS works in relation to EAS, and step-by-step instructions for configuring EAS devices.
June ISSRT Technical Webinar I
Thursday, May 26, 2016
1:00pm EDT (New York, GMT-04:00)
Event address for attendees: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/ipaws-eas-test/
Call in number: 800-320-4330
Access code: 506 311
June ISSRT Technical Webinar II
Thursday, June 2, 2016
4:00pm, EDT (New York, GMT-04:00)
Event address for attendees: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/ipaws-eas-test2/
Call in number: 800-320-4330
Access code: 506 311
June ISSRT Technical Webinar III
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
3:00pm EDT (New York, GMT-04:00)
Event address for attendees: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/ipaws-eas-test3/
Call in number: 800-320-4330
Access code: 506 311
For additional information, click here.