How It Looked at FEMA: A Successful National Test of the Emergency Alert System

The first national test of the emergency alert system in five years — and the first ever using the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) infrastructure as an overlay on EAS — has been deemed a success based on initial feedback from the field. The one-minute test was conducted Sept 28 afternoon by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with radio, TV and cable stations around the United States. The test verified the successful transmission and broadcast of a national test message.

The ability of the United States president to send such a message remains an important part of the nation’s alerting infrastructure, though such a real message has never been sent. The test was launched on the stroke of 2:20 p.m. (ET) from a laptop, in English and Spanish, and the results on local broadcast outlets were immediately monitored in the room. Shortly after the test concluded, IPAWS National Test Technical Lead Al Kenyon polled the chairs of the state emergency communications committees and others, and one by one they reported back — Wisconsin, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia/South Carolina, Nevada, SiriusXM, various EAS manufacturers ... the reports were all similar: “everything sounded good... our experience in Austin was fine... everything came through.”