Tomorrow, Oct. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to conduct the fourth nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA).
The WEA portion of the test is scheduled to commence at 11:18 a.m. Cell phones that are switched on and within range of an active cell tower should be capable of receiving the test message. Cell phones should only receive the message once.
The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to commence at 11:20 a.m. and will involve broadcast radio and television stations, cable television, and satellite radio and television services.
The test may look like regular, local EAS tests that are familiar to most people, but there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. During the test the public will hear a message indicating “this is a test.” The audio message will be the same for radio, television and cable. With this test, television viewers will see the EAS message scrolling across their television screens, however,the printed message may not include the words “this is a test”. If you see the message without the words “this is a test” please do not call 911 as this is only a test. If you have an actual emergency, then call 911. Regular programming will resume at the conclusion of the test.
More information and links to both FEMA and the FCC’s information pages are available at the San Bernardino County Fire website here. This site also provides information on how to prepare for and stay informed about what to do in the event of an actual emergency. That information can also be found here.
Please remember, this is ONLY a test and not an actual emergency.