The FCC approved a waiver of its rules to allow Morris, MN to take part in a combined test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS). The situation is unusual because to-date, there has not been a lot of regional WEA testing, either alone or combined with EAS. Officials at a recent public alerting meeting at the Commission said WEA had been tested in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area and in Vail, CO.
The State of Minnesota, Department of Public Safety, Emergency Communication Networks (DPS-ECN) also sought permission to conduct a “live code” EAS test using the Civil Danger Warning (CDW) event code in Stevens County, with participation from the surrounding counties of Big Stone, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Stearns, Swift, Pope, and Traverse. The state plans to conduct the WEA and EAS tests on June 18 between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Central Time with June 19 as a backup date.
Though the FCC approved allowing WEA testing, the changes don’t take effect until May 2019; that’s why Minnesota needed a waiver. According to the DPS-ECN, recent events in Hawaii demonstrate it’s essential the public be familiar with WEA and EAS and that emergency managers be proficient in the decision-making process to initiate an alert and to actually send one before a real alert is necessary.
The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau agreed. “We believe that a coordinated and combined test of the two systems is a likely reflection of what would occur in an actual emergency, i.e., that both WEA and the EAS would be used,” said the bureau in its decision. However, the bureau conditioned its approval on the state carrying out its outreach before the trial, making it clear the public may receive multiple messages; the word “test” must be used in the alerts.
May 23, 2018
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