Beginning at 2 p.m. today, Clark County will be part of a first-time nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System.
The Emergency Alert System test is a collaboration of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security.
The 30-second test will be similar to the FCC required weekly and monthly tests already conducted by local radio and television stations, Clark County Emergency Management Director Gary Epperson said.
“There won’t be a test of the sirens, those are for severe weather. Only people watching television or listening to the radio will hear this emergency test,” Epperson said.
This will be the first time for a national test of the 15-year-old Emergency Alert System.
A joint FEMA/FCC letter about the test is posted on the FEMA website.
According to the letter:
— An audio message will interrupt all television and radio programming indicating: “This is a test.” When the test is over, regular programming will resume.
— The test will be transmitted via all television and radio stations within the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
According to www.fema.gov, continual testing of the emergency alert system is necessary to “identify necessary improvements so that all levels of the system can better serve our communities and deliver critical information that will save lives and property.”
Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchestersun.com.
