While we’ve reported FEMA and the FCC plan on the next national EAS test occurring in 2015, FEMA’s Al Kenyon provided more details.
Focusing on next week’s upcoming limited test in West Virginia, Kenyon told Radio Show attendees FEMA is asking EAS participants to enable immediate rebroadcast of the “NPT” code test message.
“We’re going to add the word ‘national’ to the familiar text,” Kenyon said, “It will start out ‘This is a test of the national emergency alert system,’” he said.
IPAWS can deliver a message to stations that’s compatible with their automation systems, the former Clear Channel engineer added.
The message will be sent out through FEMA’s IPAWS IP infrastructure. FEMA will also be monitoring message dissemination through wireless emergency alerts.
Authorities chose West Virginia for the Sept. 17, limited test because of its challenges: many people live in valleys, where signal reception is difficult to obtain and the national radio quiet zone is located in the state. Yet the state also has a high number, some 55 counties, Kenyon says, that have registered to participate in EAS.
