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On September 20, 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide combined test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS). A backup date for the tests is set for October 3, 2018. All alerts initiated for this test event will be initiated at the Federal level and no action is needed for State or Local Entry Points.
At 1:18 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT), FEMA will send a WEA test message to WEA-capable
wireless devices throughout the entire United States and territories. All wireless providers that
have elected to participate in WEA are required to participate in this nationwide test. The WEA test
message will state:
“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is
needed.”
FEMA indicates this test will use the Presidential Alert classification. Participating Commercial Mobile Service (CMS) Providers are required to receive and transmit any WEA messages using the Presidential Alert classification.
Immediately following the WEA nationwide end-to-end test, at 1:20 p.m. CDT, FEMA will
conduct a live test of the EAS. All EAS Participants are required to participate in this nationwide test. The following EAS message will be disseminated via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System
(IPAWS):
"THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by
broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in
the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have
followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message. A similar wireless emergency alert
test message has been sent to all cell phones in the nation. Some cell phones will receive the
message. Others will not. No action is required."
The EAS alert will be transmitted in English and Spanish and include both audio and the text of the test
message, which can be used to populate an accessible video crawl.
More information for EAS participants and participating CMS providers is available in the FCC Public Notice, published July 20, 2018.
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