JACKSON HOLE, WYO – A national test of EAS tomorrow will determine just how efficiently the valley and the nation can be made aware of an emergency in the absence of internet connectivity.
No text message alerts, no email warnings, no refreshing WYDOT’s road report or checking Buckrail’s app. What if things went south and information on what to do or where to go was available only via television and radio? Old school.
“This year’s IPAWS National Test of EAS is designed to learn what our capability is to warn the public in the event of an absence of internet connectivity, focusing on broadcast TV and radio stations’ alerting capability,” said Rich Ochs, Coordinator, Teton County Emergency Management. “The alert will be very similar looking and sounding to a Routine Monthly Test (RMT), but will instead use the new National Periodic Test (NPT) EAS Event Code.”
You know the drill. “THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communication Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message…”
Public safety officials need to be sure that they are able to get urgent, life-saving alerts to the public in times of an emergency or disaster. It’s especially important for TV and radio broadcasters to make sure they have everything dialed in because this is the first time the NPT has been used.
The test will take place Wednesday, August 7 at 12:20 pm so if you are listening to the radio or watching television, expect the interruption.
