STATE OF WASHINGTON
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
 

TAB 11
WASHINGTON STATE
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
 
2010 REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST SCHEDULE

- Click here to view the schedule. -

Part A  - RMT Schedule
Your copy of the Annual RMT Schedule, developed by the SECC and distributed in the preceding fall, should be filed under this Tab in your copy of the EAS Plan.

Part B -  Procedures for RMT failures
The following procedures were adopted on March 11, 2009 by the SECC for dealing with failures in the initiation or distribution of RMTs. 

  1. When it's clear that an RMT failed or was sent as a DMO or RWT, the originating agency will not attempt to resend unless the problem is obvious, can be corrected quickly, and the RMT can be resent no later than 10 minutes after the scheduled time.  If the RMT was mistakenly sent as an actual Alert, the agency will NOT attempt to send another RMT.
  1. Investigation and documentation of a failed RMT is the responsibility of the LECC Chair, unless he or she is unavailable or otherwise unable to carry out those duties.  In the latter case, the incident becomes the responsibility of the SECC Chair, who may delegate duties relevant to the event.
  1. The person investigating an RMT failure will post a brief notice on the Washington State EAS Remailer as soon as possible after the event and will post an explanation suitable for broadcaster logging once the cause of the problem has been determined.  He or she will not post speculative information.
The reason for testing is to find and correct problems so that EAS works when there's an emergency.  This goal requires that accuracy be a higher priority than speed when evaluating test failures.

Notes to RMT Schedule

* In April, EAS will be part of the Earthquake preparedness drill.  Since that will occur in the daytime, March has been switched to a nighttime test.  The preparedness drill will occur between 9:45 and 10:00 AM (date and time are determined by the State).

*Nighttime tests must run between local sunset and 8:30 AM.  Nighttime tests are no longer scheduled in the middle of the night so people with weather radios will not be disturbed by their radios being activated by an RMT.  The schedule deviates from the Originator Schedule in the State EAS Plan so that local areas are not responsible for all nighttime tests.  The State DEM will not activate in the middle of the night in consideration of the participants in the CSEPP program.  The NWS will not activate in the middle of the night in consideration of those people who are alerted by the tone alert system.

**In May, the RMT will include Pierce County's annual Lahar test (1st Tuesday of the month; 10 AM Central Puget Sound area).

***The September test will run as part of the NWS tsunami communications drill for Alaska and the West Coast; and the State's Drop, Cover and Hold earthquake drill (date and time determined by NWS and State EMD).  It is also "Weather Radio Awareness Month," so NWS will originate the monthly RMT.

****The October test coincides with a FEMA-required activation and survey of tone-alert radios in Franklin and Benton Counties.
 
*****Exact times are shown.  This will help traffic, programming, and operations departments prepare for the incoming test.

******The April, May and September tests deviate from the standard test pattern (day/night, first full week of the month) due to scheduling of the earthquake preparedness drill in April, the lahar drill in May and the tsunami drill in September

*******Broadcast stations and cable systems have 1 hour to forward an RMT after receiving it.

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