Local EMA officials hope public will note upcoming national emergency alert test on October 4

This is a test, it is only a test.

That’s what everyone will need to remember when the clock strikes 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, and a nationwide emergency alert test will occur and send alerts out on televisions, radios and phones.

So when you hear the tones or get buzzes on your phones next week on Wednesday afternoon, nothing is actually happening at all other than a test.

Polk County Emergency Management Agency passed along information about the upcoming test to ensure that local residents are aware of the situation, and don’t wish anyone to be distressed by the testing.

These tests being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission (FEMA and FCC) are testing two systems at the same time: the Emergency Alert System (EAS) – those crazy tones you hear on TV or radios when bad weather is on the way – and the Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA.

WEA is the wireless alerts you get on your phone by text, like Amber Alerts, that push out with cooperation of wireless providers for government officials to provide info during a national emergency. These systems are now integrating for the first time together in a nationwide test using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS.)

If you’re on your phone next Wednesday, the message you’ll get at 2:20 p.m. EDT is “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” In Spanish it’ll come through as: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

The one-minute test of the EAS system on radios and television providers of various kinds will broadcast the following: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”

Here’s the full release sent along by Polk County EMA:

FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

Test Messages Will be Sent to All TVs, Radios and Cell Phones

FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.

The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.

The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.

This year the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN).

All wireless phones should receive the message only once. The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:

1. Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.
2. For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
3. Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas.

To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.

Important information about the EAS test:

1. The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
2. The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.