Expect a pair of national alert tests Wednesday afternoon.
The federal government is conducting its IPAWS, or Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, test of both the wireless emergency alert and emergency alert systems. Lyon County Emergency 911 Director Roxanne Van Gundy says this is the first such test on a national level.
Tests will come down almost back-to-back, with the wireless test for cell phones, also known as WEA, at 1:18 pm, followed by the standard emergency alert test at 1:20 pm for radio and TV. The cell phone test alert will read as a “Presidential Alert,” and all cell phones will get that alert. An audible alarm tone may also be part of the cell phone test.
Van Gundy calls this a great opportunity to test the national system. She says her staff are ready to answer questions just in case, but she encourages people not to call 911 during the test because there is no emergency.
The test is being organized by the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Related: FEMA information about the IPAWS system and Wednesday’s national tests
