The first coast-to-coast EAS test in three years is approaching, and FEMA wants stations walking in prepared. A pair of live webinars from FEMA’s IPAWS Division, scheduled for this week and the next, will cover the planning side of the exercise.
In September, FEMA and the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau set the test for 2:20p ET on November 17, with December 3 as the backup date. It will be the first nationwide EAS test since October 4, 2023. Unlike that one, it does not include a simultaneous Wireless Emergency Alerts test.
The first FEMA webinar runs October 16 from 11a to 12p ET, and the second is October 20 from 2:30p to 3:30p ET. The content is the same in both. Broadcasters can secure a seat via the SBE website.
In September, FEMA and the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau set the test for 2:20p ET on November 17, with December 3 as the backup date. It will be the first nationwide EAS test since October 4, 2023. Unlike that one, it does not include a simultaneous Wireless Emergency Alerts test.
Under the same notice, EAS Participants must file ETRS Form One by October 30, Form Two by 2:20p ET on November 19, and Form Three by January 4, 2027. Each deadline shifts two weeks later if the test moves to the backup date.
