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Bay Area radio and television stations will join others across the country Wednesday for the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. For decades, the stations have aired localized alerts - those familiar beeps and then the "this is a test" message. But this is the first time it will be done on a nationwide scale.
The goal is to determine whether the system would be effective in reaching the entire country in case of a substantial disaster.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency began preparing for the nationwide alert with a statewide test in Alaska last year. Alaska was selected because, much like the entire country, it has both tiny towns of a few dozen residents and large urban centers, officials said.
A follow-up test there in January corrected several problems with how the alert signal was transmitted to stations. Emergency officials also slowed the text that scrolls across television screens, in response to complaints from the deaf and hearing-impaired. The system alert was created in the 1950s as a way for the president to communicate with citizens.
"Its shortcoming is that it's basic," said Damon Penn, a FEMA spokesman. "But that's also the beauty of it, that it's basic."
The 30-second test was planned for early November because the peak hurricane season has passed and severe winter weather has not set in. Next month, an alert system compatible with wireless devices like some smart phones will become available in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Federal officials say they have let individual cell phone companies determine how and if they want to provide the service. Some customers may eventually have to buy new phones if they want to be able to receive the alerts; other phone makers may offer a software upgrade.
The nationwide test is being coordinated by FEMA, the Federal Communication Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The goal is to determine whether the system would be effective in reaching the entire country in case of a substantial disaster.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency began preparing for the nationwide alert with a statewide test in Alaska last year. Alaska was selected because, much like the entire country, it has both tiny towns of a few dozen residents and large urban centers, officials said.
A follow-up test there in January corrected several problems with how the alert signal was transmitted to stations. Emergency officials also slowed the text that scrolls across television screens, in response to complaints from the deaf and hearing-impaired. The system alert was created in the 1950s as a way for the president to communicate with citizens.
"Its shortcoming is that it's basic," said Damon Penn, a FEMA spokesman. "But that's also the beauty of it, that it's basic."
The 30-second test was planned for early November because the peak hurricane season has passed and severe winter weather has not set in. Next month, an alert system compatible with wireless devices like some smart phones will become available in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Federal officials say they have let individual cell phone companies determine how and if they want to provide the service. Some customers may eventually have to buy new phones if they want to be able to receive the alerts; other phone makers may offer a software upgrade.
The nationwide test is being coordinated by FEMA, the Federal Communication Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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