New England states will be participating in a voluntary test of the Emergency Alert System this fall. The test will send a National Periodic Test (NPT) message through IPAWS.
The test, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will be the second such test conducted in the United States. The first, performed in September 2014 involved Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. EAS devices, other than Gorman Redlich models, will need to be reprogrammed. FEMA will be conducting webinars to assist stations in reprogramming their boxes.
It is widely rumored that a future national EAS test will use the NPT code so it is an opportunity to get a leg up ahead of the next national test. This test will not be a substitute for a required weekly or monthly test. There are also no required reporting requirements, although the MBA will likely issue a survey to stations.
More information will be released in the future.
