II. The National, State, and Local EAS: Participation and Priorities

A. National EAS Participation
B. State/Local EAS Participation
C. Conditions of EAS Participation
D. EAS Priorities

III. The Washington State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC)

IV. Organization and Concepts of the Washington State EAS

A. EAS Designations
B. Delivery Plan / Monitoring Assignments
C. Development of Local EAS Structure and Plans
D. Origins of EAS Information

 

1. National-Level System
2. State-Level System
3. National Weather Service Distribution
4. Local EAS Distribution System (Local Area Network)

V. Authentication

A. National
B. State
C. NOAA/NWS
D. Local

VI. EAS Protocol

A. Header Code
B. Attention Signal
C. Aural Message
D. End-of-Message Code

VII. Required EAS Tests

A. Required Weekly Test (RWT)

 

1. Transmission
2. Reception

B. Required Monthly Test (RMT)

 

1. Transmission
2. RMT Scheduling

 

a. Week and Time of Day
b. Development of the RMT Schedule

 

3. Reception and Re-transmission

C. Time-Duration and County-Location Codes to be Used in Testing

VIII. Washington State EAS Scripts and Formats

A. Test Scripts and Formats

 

1. RWT
2. RMT

 

a. RMT Format and Script
b. Optional Test Introductions and Wrap-ups

IX. EAS State and Local Activation Procedures

A. State Activation Procedures
B. Local Area Activation Procedures

X. Guidance for Originators of EAS Alerts

A. Guidance for National Weather Service Personnel
B. Guidance for Emergency Management Personnel
C. Guidance for Industrial Plant Personnel

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I. Intent and Purpose of this Plan

This Plan is the FCC-mandated document outlining the organization and implementation of the State of Washington Emergency Alert System (EAS). It is the guideline for Washington State broadcasters and cable television operators, and state and local entities authorized to use EAS (per TAB definitions) to determine:

Any other elements of the EAS which are unique to this state.

This Plan is an adjunct to the FCC EAS Rules, and is not meant to be a summary, in whole or in part, of those rules. Consult FCC Rules Part 11 for complete rules regarding the Emergency Alert System.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL NOTE

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II. The National, State, and Local EAS: Participation and Priorities

A. National EAS Participation

All broadcasters and subject cable operators are required to participate in the National-level EAS. Participating National (PN) stations and cable operators will carry the Presidential message; Non-Participating National (NN) stations will make an announcement and sign off. In addition, all broadcasters and subject cable operators must transmit a Required Weekly Test (RWT), and once a month, must re-transmit the Required Monthly Test (RMT) within 60 minutes of receiving it on their EAS decoder. These actions are required of all broadcasters and subject cable operators, regardless of their “PN” or “NN” EAS status.


B. State/Local EAS Participation

Participation in the State and/or Local Area EAS is voluntary for all broadcasters and cable operators. However, broadcast stations and cable operators electing to participate in the State and/or Local Area EAS must follow the procedures found in this Plan. Stations designated “NN” (Non-Participating National) may participate in the State and/or Local Area EAS without any prior FCC approval, even though they elect not to carry National EAS Alerts.


C. Conditions of EAS Participation

Participation in this Plan shall not be deemed as a relinquishment of program control, and shall not be deemed to prohibit broadcast licensees from exercising independent discretion and responsibility in any given situation. Broadcast stations and cable systems transmitting EAS emergency communications shall be deemed to have conferred rebroadcast authority. Management of each broadcast station and cable system may exercise discretion regarding the broadcast of emergency information and instructions to the general public. This authority is provided by FCC Rules and Regulations [11.54d].


D. EAS Priorities

EAS Priorities as set forth in the FCC rules [11.44] are as follows:

1) National EAS Messages
2) Local Area EAS Messages
3) State EAS Messages
4) Messages from the National Information Center (NIC)
(These are follow-up messages after a national EAS activation.)

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III. The Washington State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC)

The responsibility of administrating this Plan rests with the members of the Washington SECC. The SECC Chairpersons are appointed by the FCC. SECC members include the Chairpersons of the Local Emergency Communications Committees (LECC) and other voluntary members appointed by the SECC.

See Tab 1: Washington SECC Membership List

See Tab 2: Local Area LECC Chairs

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IV. Organization and Concepts of the Washington State EAS

A. EAS Designations

Every broadcast station and subject cable system will be assigned an EAS designation by the FCC which defines their EAS status.

• NP (National Primary) = A source of National EAS Alerts.
• SRN (State Relay Network) = A State-operated VHF radio system which originates from the State Emergency Operations Center. The SRN system is a primary source of State EAS messages.

See Tab 4: State Relay Network Map

• LP (Local Primary) = Broadcast stations which are primary sources of Local Area, National, State, and Weather Alerts. Washington State LP stations are listed in the state EAS matrices.

See Tab 5: Western Washington EAS Matrix

See Tab 6: Eastern Washington EAS Matrix

• LRN ( Local Relay Network) = A radio or other communications system used to distribute sources of local area EAS information to stations and cable systems in specific areas.

See Tab 5 or 6: EAS Matrix for LRN Frequencies

• PN (Participating National) = Broadcast stations and cable systems which deliver all levels of EAS to the general public. Most broadcasters and cable operators are designated as “PN”.
• NN (Non-Participating National) = Broadcasters which elect not to participate in national level EAS. These stations must have specific authorization from the FCC to sign off the air during a national emergency.

See Tab 7: Glossary of EAS Terms

• NUCLEAR PLANT / INDUSTRIAL PLANT = Nuclear and other industrial plants with a potential for dangerous conditions may have their own specific EAS plans which must conform to EAS standards and be approved by the appropriate LECC and the SECC.

B. Delivery Plan / Monitoring Assignments

The SECC is required by the FCC to develop an EAS message delivery plan which will provide a minimum of two sources for all levels of EAS alerts to each broadcast station and subject cable system. The Washington SECC has developed a more extensive plan which assigns up to six sources of EAS information to each station and subject cable system. The two required monitoring sources will, in some cases, provide all levels of EAS alerts; the additional monitoring assignments will provide direct access to additional sources of EAS information. The goal of the Washington State message delivery plan is to exceed FCC minimum requirements and develop a truly useful, robust message delivery system.

Monitoring assignments for all broadcast stations and subject cable systems in Washington State are included in this plan.

See Tab 10: Washington State Monitoring Assignments

C. Development of Local EAS Structure and Plans

A basic EAS system would have a single entry point of access for all authorized agencies within a local area. This point would consist of an EAS encoder and a communication link capable of sending EAS information to an LP station.

The Washington SECC wants EAS to grow and evolve beyond a basic EAS system, especially at the local level. Local areas and large cities are encouraged to develop more sophisticated systems and plans. In most cases, governmental agencies,
within the local area obtain their own EAS encoders which give each of them the ability to signal their local broadcasters and cable operators directly..

A local area plan should be written to detail the structure and procedures for each local area. As changes are made in local EAS structure and procedure, the local area plans must be revised to reflect those changes.
The initial plans and all revisions are to be submitted by LECC chairpersons for inclusion in this state plan.

See Tab 12: Applicable Local Area Plans

D. Origins of EAS Information.

1. National-Level System

The President of the United States or other federal authorities may utilize the facilities of EAS in a national emergency. Notification of a national EAS alert comes in the form of an EMERGENCY ACTION NOTIFICATION (EAN) from the White House. This notification may be distributed to the nation via two methods:

• Participating radio and television networks, cable networks and program suppliers, wire services and communications common carriers.
• The network of PRIMARY ENTRY POINT (PEP) AM broadcast stations. PEP stations in the Pacific Northwest are:

KIRO Seattle, Washington
KBOI Boise, Idaho.

See Tab 14: National-Level System

2. State-Level System (State Relay Network)

The State of Washington Emergency Management Division operates a system utilizing the facilities of the Washington State Patrol whereby EAS information from the State EOC is transmitted throughout the state via mountain top transmitters on 155.475 Mhz.

See Tab 4: State Relay Network Map

3. National Weather Service Distribution

NOAA/NWS operate NOAA Weather Radio stations throughout the state. These facilities transmit weather and other emergency information to broadcast stations and cable systems as well as to the general public.

See Tab 15: NOAA/NWS Information and Maps

4. Local EAS Distribution System (Local Area Network)

All areas in the state are to be served by Local Area Networks. These generally consist of radio or other communications systems that provide the means for sources of local area EAS information to reach broadcasters and cable systems. In some cases a given communications system may be shared so that it may serve more than one local area.

Specific details of communications circuits serving a local area are contained in the applicable local area plan.

See Tab 12: Applicable Local Area Plans

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V. Authentication

A. National

(Reserved)

B. State

Specific authorization procedures for state-level EAS alerts are developed by Washington State EMD and are found in Tab 16.

See Tab 16: Washington State-Level Activation Procedures

C. NOAA/NWS

Specific authorization procedures for NOAA/NWS level EAS alerts are developed by NWS and are found in Tab 15.

See Tab 15: NOAA/NWS Information and Maps

D. Local

Each local area has included authentication procedures within their plans. Consult the local area plan for your area for specific instructions.

See Tab 12: Applicable Local Area Plans

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VI. EAS Protocol

An EAS activation (test or alert) will consist of up to four elements:

• A header code
• An attention signal
• An aural message
• An end of message code

All EAS activations will include a header code data burst. The header code will be sent three times, with a one-second pause after each transmission, to ensure proper reception by EAS decoders.

Following the header code, a two-tone attention signal may be used to alert listeners and viewers that an EAS activation has occurred and that an aural message will follow. The attention signal should be used if, and only if, an aural message will be included as part of the alert.

An aural message would follow the attention signal. Use of the two-tone attention signal and an aural message will be determined by the originator of the alert; they are not required, but if one is used the other must accompany it.

All EAS activations will conclude with an end-of-message code data burst. The end-of- message code will be sent three times, with a one-second pause after each transmission, to ensure proper reception by EAS decoders.

Refer to the following diagram and descriptions for more information on each element.

A. Header Code [11.31c]

EAS header codes consist of the following elements sent the in the following sequence:

[Preamble] ZCZC-ORG-EEE-PSSCCC+TTTT-JJJHHMM-LLLLLLLL

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[Preamble] = Clears the system. The preamble is sent automatically by the EAS encoder.

ZCZC = An identifier which indicates the start of the ASCII code. It is sent automatically by the EAS encoder.

ORG = Originator Code. This code describes the type of entity originating an EAS activation. It is programmed into an EAS encoder by the user at initial setup. The only originator codes are (11.31d):

EAN - Emergency Action Notification Network
PEP - Primary Entry Point System
NWS - National Weather Service
CIV - Civil authorities
EAS - Broadcast station or cable system

EEE = Event Code. This code describes the type of event that has occurred and must be programmed into an encoder by the originator for each activation. (Note that in some cases, such as tests, the encoder may use a macro function which assigns the event code, making it seem like no event code was specified.)

The event codes listed in Tab 17 have been approved by the FCC for EAS use in Washington State [11.31e]. Only those codes approved by the FCC may be used. Any agency which desires to use a code not on the list of approved event codes must submit the proposed code to the SECC for approval. If the SECC agrees with the need for a new code the request will be sent to the FCC for approval by a consortium of the FCC, FEMA, and NWS officials. Once the code is approved it will be added to the “master list” of event codes for Washington State in Tab 17 and will be authorized for use. Eventually the FCC will update the Part 11 rules to include the new code.

See Tab 17: Washington State EAS Event Codes

PSSCCC = Location Code. This code identifies the states, counties, and county areas which are affected by an EAS alert. The location code must be programmed by the alert originator each time an alert is sent. (Note that in some cases, such as tests, the encoder may use a macro function
which assigns the location code, making it seem like no event code was specified.)

EAS location codes are based on FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) codes [11.31c]. Each state has been assigned a number and each county in each state has been assigned a number. The combination of the state number and the county number gives each county in the entire country a unique identification number. This makes up the “SSCCC” portion of the EAS location code. An additional digit has been added at the head of the FIPS code to make up the EAS location code. This digit, represented by the “P”, further defines the location described by the FIPS code, allowing each county to be broken down into nine smaller areas (see the chart below). The boundaries of the smaller areas are determined by the State Division of Emergency Management in cooperation with local emergency management authorities.

0 = No designation / entire county selected

The FIPS code for the State of Washington is 53. Here are some examples of EAS location codes for areas within Washington:

Entire State: 053000
P --------- 0 = No county portion designated
SS ------- 53 = Washington State FIPS code
CCC----- 000 = No county designated

King County: 053033
P -------- 0 = No county portion designated
SS ------ 53 = Washington State FIPS code
CCC---- 033 = King County FIPS code

NW King County: 153033
P -------- 1 = Northwest portion designated
SS ------ 53 = Washington State FIPS code
CCC---- 033 = King County FIPS code

The boundaries of “Northwest King County” would be determined by the State EMD and King County emergency management authorities and would be included in the Central Puget Sound Local Area Plan.

See Tab 18: Location Codes

TTTT = Duration of the event. This code defines how long the alert is expected to be in effect. The duration must be determined by the alert originator each time an alert is sent.

A Valid duration can be entered in 15 minute segments up to one hour and then in 30 minute segments beyond one hour. For example:

0015 = 15 minutes
0030 = 30 minutes
0045 = 45 minutes
0100 = 1 hour
0230 = 2 hours 30 minutes
0400 = 4 hours

JJJHHMM = Date (Julian) and time of day (UTC) the EAS was activated. This is sent automatically by the encoder. The duration of the event is based on this code.

The “JJJ” portion of the code represents the Julian date. The Julian date system numbers each day sequentially starting with 001 on January 1 each year. Examples of Julian dates are:

The “HHMM” portion of the code represents the hours and minutes of the day using Coordinated Universal Time.

LLLLLLLL = Encoder identifier code. This code identifies the broadcaster, cable operator, Weather Service office, civil authority, or nuclear/industrial plant which operated the encoder that transmitted or retransmitted an activation. The information is programmed into the encoder at initial setup and is automatically added to the EAS header by the encoder.

“L-Code” identification must adhere to the following formats:

Broadcasters:
Use station call letters as the L-Code identifier.

Examples:
Single station: KXXX (FM)
Two stations: KXXXKYYY
Three or more stations: The call letters of one of the stations is sufficient. The other stations sending the alert should keep a log of alerts sent as should the station which was identified in the L-Code portion of the header.

Cable Television:

See Tab 19: Specific Instructions for Cable TV Systems

Weather Service Offices:
Use the letters “NWS” followed by the location abbreviation of the NWS office transmitting the EAS message:

Examples:
Seattle: NWS(SEA)
Spokane: NWS(GEG)
Portland: NWS(PDX)
Pendleton: NWS(PDT)

Civil Authorities:
L-Codes for civil authorities will be constructed in the following manner:

Examples:
King County Sheriff --------- KINGCOSH
Seattle Police Department -- SEATCYPD

B) Attention Signal

An EAS activation may include a two-tone attention signal. The two-tone attention signal must consist of the fundamental frequencies of 853 and 960 Hz transmitted simultaneously [11.31a2] and must be from 8 to 25 seconds in duration [11.31c]. When used, the attention signal must follow the EAS header and must precede an aural message. It is not required for state and local alerts [11.51b].

C) Aural Message

An EAS alert may also include an aural message. EAS decoders are required to have the capability to record and store at least two minutes of audio information [11.33a3i]. The originator may supply an aural message of up to, but not more than, two minutes in length. The aural message will be transmitted following the attention signal. Transmission of the aural message is not required for state and local alerts [11.51b].


D) End-of-Message Code

EAS end-of-message codes consist of the following elements sent in the following sequence:

[Preamble] NNNN

[Preamble] = Clears the system. The preamble is sent automatically by the EAS encoder.

NNNN = The end of message character string comprised of four ASCII “N” characters. This indicates the end of the EAS message [11.31c].

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VII. Required EAS Tests

All broadcasters and subject cable operators are required to transmit Required Weekly Tests (RWT) and Required Monthly Tests (RMT) with the following exceptions:

A. Required Weekly Test (RWT)

1. Transmission

All broadcasters and subject cable operators must initiate an RWT once each week at random days and times except for the week of the RMT test. There are no time-of-day restrictions. This is a 10.5-second test, consisting only of the EAS Header and End-of-Message Codes.


2. Reception

All broadcasters and subject cable operators receiving a RWT from one of their monitored sources must log receipt of this test in accordance with current FCC Part 11 regulations..


B. Required Monthly Test (RMT)

1. Transmission

RMTs are to be initiated by the State of Washington EMD, NWS, and Local Areas in accordance with the Required Monthly Test Schedule. Broadcasters and cable operators are to wait for this test and then react as described in (3) below. These tests shall always use the event code “RMT”.


2. RMT Scheduling

a. Week and Time of Day

NOTES:

• SRN = Tests originated by the State of Washington EMD and distributed via the State Relay Network. (See Tab 4)
• LRN = Tests originated by a Local Authority within a Local Area and distributed via the Local Relay Network. (See Tabs 12 or 13)
• NWR = Tests originated by the National Weather Service and distributed via NOAA Weather Radio (See Tab 15)
• Test schedules may be modified by the SECC.

See Tab 11: Current RMT Schedule

b. Development of the RMT Schedule.

Due to the intrusive nature of the RMT to television broadcasters and cable operators, the dates and times of these tests will be scheduled well in advance. Various government entities will be responsible for periodically originating these monthly tests.
The Washington State SECC will cooperatively develop the RMT schedule.

The intent of this section is to acknowledge the potential financial impact of such tests on the television programming of broadcasters and cable operators alike, and to provide a mechanism whereby such tests can be scheduled with input from such affected industries. It will be incumbent upon television broadcasters and cable operators to individually designate authorized representatives to the SECC.

3. Reception and Re-transmission

All broadcasters and subject cable operators receiving an RMT must re-transmit this test within 60 minutes of receiving it. For daytime-only stations receiving a night-time RMT, this test may be re-transmitted within 1 hour after signing on, or may choose not to forward it. Transmission of this RMT takes the place of the Required Weekly Test (RWT). Times should be logged for both the receipt and re-transmission of the RMT. Broadcast and cable management should impress upon their staff that re-transmission of this test is required. It is an FCC violation for failure to re-transmit this test within 60 minutes of receiving it.


C. Time-Duration and County-Location Codes to be Used in Testing.

• The TIME DURATION used in the EAS header code for all RMT’s shall be “3 Hours”. A 3-hour duration allows time for the RMT to be received and forwarded multiple times before the event expires.
• COUNTY LOCATION codes used in the EAS header code for EAS tests shall conform to these guidelines:

SRN: All tests shall use the Location Code for the entire state (053000).
LRN: All Tests shall include the Location Code for all counties in that local area.

See Tab 3: Washington State Local Area Map

PN Stations, NN Stations, Cable Operators: The RMT shall be re-transmitted unchanged, except for the “L-Code”. Thus, RMTs will include all counties present in the original message. For the RWT performed each week by each PN and NN station, and each cable operator, the county location code used shall be the county for the broadcaster or cable operator’s service area. Other counties in the station’s/system’s service area may be added at management discretion.

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VIII. Washington State EAS Scripts and Formats

A. Test Script and Formats

The following test scripts and formats shall be used by all Washington broadcasters, cable operators, and emergency agencies when originating EAS tests.


1. RWT

No script is used for the RWT. The entire test takes 10.5 seconds and must be formatted as follows: