National EAS Test – Aug. 7th!
Attention Broadcast Engineers & Managers:
We are one week away from the 2019 National EAS Test, commonly called the National Periodic Test (NPT). FEMA will transmit the test VIA the Primary Entry Point (PEP) system. It will not be available on the IPAWS CAP system. The NPT will be issued at 11:20 AM PDT Wednesday August 7th, 2019.
By now all EAS participants should have checked their EAS units to ensure that it is programmed and working properly. If you haven’t, now is time to do so. Key points are:
1. Verify your EAS equipment is running the required software version (contact
your equipment vendor if you have a question)
2. Verify that you are monitoring the correct legacy EAS monitor sources as
outlined in your State EAS plan.
3. Verify that the audio from both required sources is broadcast quality
4. Verify that the system clock is correct and synced to a national time server
(check the time zone setting as well)
5. Be prepared to file ETRS form two by midnight on August 7th.
Contact your State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) or the OAB with any questions concerning the NPT requirements.
