STATE
OF WASHINGTON
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
Approved by the
Federal Communications Commission, March
3, 1997
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January 12, 2011
Present: Terry Spring-KWPX, Phil Johnson-CPS LECC, Tom Sharp-Pierce County DEM, Clay Freinwald-WSU, Roland Robinson-Bates, Ted Buehner-NWS Seattle, Lowell Kiesow-KPLU, Don Miller-EMD
Via Phone: Mark Kennedy-KNDO, Dave Holloren-San Juan County EM, Anthony Cavalluccii-NWS Spokane, Tom Saylor-WSU, Elray Rasmussen-Comcast, Penny Linterman-Clallam County, Arthur Willetts-KWDK, Ruth Brownstein-KAOS, Scott Vermays-Comcast, Tom Pierson-KIRO Radio, Jim Tharp, Kris McGowan-FCC, Jim Dalke-Dalke Broadcast Services
Clay Freinwald called the meeting to order and introductions were made.
Dick Pust is no longer with KGY Olympia.
Lightning struck the radio stations in Forks. Much of their equipment was destroyed and they are now off the air. They are the only commercial station in the area.
A new EAS group, the Independent Emergency Alert System Stakeholders (IEASS), has been formed to fill the void left by the SBE. The SBE is no longer taking an active role in lobbying for legislation. The IEASS has already petitioned the FCC to not implement CAP until some of the undecided questions are answered.
SBE Chapter 16 had a program on EAS for their monthly meeting in January. It was held the day after the SECC meeting. Don Miller of WSEM and Harold Price of Sage talked about the implementation of CAP in Washington and the new digital SAGE ENDEC. It was well-attended.
The state EAS Mailing list is self administered. To sign up, sign off, or make changes, go to http://sea.sbe16.org/mailman/listinfo/eas-wa.
There is a radio station ownership shuffle in the Yakima/Tri Cities market. Calls and frequencies are being moved around.
Don Miller discussed the new Sage boxes distributed by the state. They have a list of all the alerts sent and received through My States. There have been a few problems. They are being worked through. There have been some concerns about the TFT 911 boxes printing every alert. The later firmware versions allow you to select which alerts to print. If you get a new CAP compliant box, you can get the My States password from Don. There have been a few audio problems with the new Sage boxes. This could have been caused by the audio being overwritten by an alert from a different source, such as the SRN. Sage is working on a fix which would give CAP alerts a slightly higher priority. For now, the state is waiting 20 minutes after the CAP alert to send an alert over the SRN. The new system is more user friendly than the old one. CAP has been accepted by the originators.
There have, once again, been some complaints about receiving multiple RMTís from different areas. Some boxes canít be programmed as to which alerts to receive from which area. So, if you want to receive an alert from a specific area, you will receive all alerts and tests from that area. That might be something to keep in mind when a new EAS box is purchased.
Oregon and Idaho are now using My States.
The National Weather Service reports that California will do a live Tsunami test in late March. No live tests will be done here.
The Washington State Association of Broadcasters reports that the recent AMBER meeting in Phoenix had very little of interest to broadcasters. The Washington AMBER Committee will be meeting before the end of the month. There will not be an EAS Summit in 2011. The NASBA EAS Committee is focusing on building awareness of the national test and expanding efforts begun in 2011 to educate policy makers in Washington, DC. They will also be supporting the broadcasterís transition to CAP and supporting ìBroadcasters are First Respondersî legislation. The WSAB will be commenting on the FCC proceeding on DMAís that straddle state lines. Their position is that some communities near borders receive better service from nearby stations in an adjacent state than a more distant station in the same state.
Kris McGowan from the FCC reported that she hopes to hire some new people soon. She mentioned that she recently saw an episode of Criminal Minds where EAS was portrayed incorrectly. When a test is missed, it still must be logged with when and why.
The 2011 Test Schedule was discussed again. At the last meeting it was decided that there would be no more Sunday tests. In the Columbia Basin, there is a warning system set up for Hanford. The test schedule for the year had already been printed and distributed. So the February test was changed back to Sunday. It should be the last Sunday test. The schedule now notes that the Columbia Gorge falls under the Oregon plan. The test schedule was approved.
In the Central Puget Sound Area, Kitsap County did a successful RMT using CAP.
The Technical Committee noted that CAP messages donít say where they are from. That is being addressed.
It was brought up that maybe it would be a good idea to rotate meeting locations. Some people have long drives. It could mean that different people might show up at meetings which could stimulate new ideas. Phil Johnson will look for another location for the March meeting.
The Moses Lake Police Department AMBER Plan was approved.
The Governor must carry has not been addressed in Washington. We are waiting to see what the FCC rules will be.
KIRO-AM (as opposed to KIRO-FM) is still the PEP for Washington and must still be monitored.
The next meeting will be on March 9 at a time and location to be determined.
Terry Spring
Chief Engineer
KWPX TV/DT
ION Media Networks
PO Box 426
8112-C 304th Avenue SE
Preston WA 98050
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