Public safety officials in Waldo County, Maine have FCC permission to conduct a Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) test later this month — the first live WEA test in the county. The Waldo County Emergency Management Agency asked for a waiver of the Commission’s rules because new rules allowing WEA testing don’t kick-in until May 1.
The Waldo County EMA says the area is susceptible to a variety of emergencies such as blizzards, “nor’easters,” ice storms, hurricanes, wildfires, grid failures, and hazardous materials releases.
They would use WEA “to alert the public of approaching hazards, to provide emergency directions, and to inform [the public about] what other information sources are available” for emergency information.
The county also wants to “ensure that emergency management staff is able to test and validate its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System and WEA origination capabilities.” Officials also want to determine the scope and coverage area by the carrier’s WEA transmissions.
Waldo County EMA officials tell the FCC it’s, “imperative to test the system now, rather than wait until May 2019 when the FCC’s WEA end-to-end testing rules become effective.” The Commission agreed the test is in the public interest. The test is slated for March 22.
March 4, 2019
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