Emergency Alert System and Notification
America’s Alert & Warning SystemThe Emergency Alert System (EAS) is an integral part of the public alert and warning system in the U.S. It provides the President and other authorized federal, state and local officials the capability to transmit an emergency message to the public during disasters or crises. The national EAS, regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is administered by the Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The President and authorized federal government officials originate national alerts and warnings. During non-federal emergencies, the EAS gives state and local government and emergency management officials the capability to alert and warn their local populations.
Enhancing the Emergency Alert System
FEMA is installing a satellite-based distribution network as part of on-going improvements to the national alert and warning system; providing an alternative path for the President and authorized officials to send emergency messages to the public and to the state emergency operations centers. Using a satellite based system allows us to reach all state entry point facilities (both radio stations and Emergency Operations Centers) more reliably, especially during conditions where landline communications are disrupted, such as during flooding and earthquakes.
This improvement is a step toward FEMA’s goal to reduce losses to life and property from all hazards by providing reliable and accurate information before, during and after an emergency.
The Emergency Alert Notification
The Emergency Action Notification (EAN) is an event code used by the EAS to signify a Federal activation of the system. An EAN activation is reserved solely for the President of the United States. Other than weekly and monthly tests, the EAN and its associated Emergency Action Termination (EAT) are the only EAS codes that FCC regulations mandate that broadcasters must interrupt their programming to carry.
Testing the National Activation of the Emergency Alert System
FEMA is currently expanding the capabilities of the EAS and other alert and warning systems throughout the United States in compliance with Executive Order 13407. As part of that process, FEMA is installing new alert and warning technologies that will allow for the rapid dissemination of emergency messages to the public and State emergency management personnel. To ensure system reliability and identify potential weak points FEMA must test the new alert and warning technologies.
While the EAS protocols do include several test codes for mandated weekly and monthly testing of the EAS, the testing that needed to be conducted for the new national delivery path was unique. There is no test code to simulate a national activation of the EAS. The primary function of the national level activation is a presidential message, the EAN. Because the EAN is a unique code, the only way to properly gauge how the receivers and equipment will react and process the alert using the new delivery path was to send an actual EAN code to specified receivers in a controlled test.
Inadvertent Activation of the Illinois Emergency Alert System
An internal test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on June 26, 2007, was inadvertently rebroadcast over the Illinois State Emergency Alert System. The goal of this test was to verify that FEMA could successfully send an EAN over the new satellite distribution network to specific receivers in different parts of the United States. Two radio stations – one in Cleveland, Ohio, and one in Richmond, Virginia - were used to measure any difference in data quality or time delays over the satellite distribution network. The signal was received successfully and passed to the EAS equipment at the test sites to determine if the equipment would react to the received code as programmed. The EAS equipment at the two test sites was not connected to any other transmission system, so the alert stopped at those sites.
The new EAS satellite distribution receiver was installed June 25, 2007, at the Springfield, Illinois Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and left on and connected to the state EAS distribution system. The contractor installing the new equipment was instructed to turn off the satellite distribution receivers after local testing. The contractor did not follow procedures and left the new equipment on and connected to the Illinois State EAS distribution system. The Illinois State EAS distribution system was left in the “automatic” mode by State personnel, which enabled the EAN message then to be automatically transmitted from the State EOC and distributed throughout Illinois.
FEMA personnel performing the test on June 26, 2007, did not know that the new Springfield EOC EAS satellite distribution receiver was left on-line or that the State EAS distribution system was in an “automatic” relay mode. The receiver in Springfield picked up the alert that went to the test locations and then the EOC sent out the alert to the state network as designed. The testing was scheduled to include only the two test sites in Cleveland, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia, and no personnel at FEMA were aware that the Illinois system had been activated. The Illinois State EOC was informed on June 18, 2007 of the planned EAN test with the two radio stations.
FEMA Actions to Prevent Similar Incidents
In the future, before any background or closed system testing over any EAS channel using a live event code such as an EAN, FEMA will coordinate with the FCC and appropriate state and local emergency management offices and our broadcast industry partners. Also, during any such testing, particularly an EAN, an audible message indicating the purpose of the test will be transmitted along with any test codes regardless of the intended destination of the test.
Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 11:55:42 EDT