This Wednesday, there will be a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on all radio, television, and cable media.

The yearly test of the EAS is to find any glitches in the system and fix them before an actual emergency happens. The test will originate from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington D.C., and if everything goes according to plan, it will go through local stations, including Raccoon Valley Radio. The EAS has been in place since the 20th century, and Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator Barry Halling says it’s original purpose was the warn people about a nuclear event.

“Back in the old days, it was for a nuclear explosion, or whatever those kinds of things that used to happen back in the old days. Those (emergency alerts) were brought forward then, and so we could alert the public to take shelter or under a nuclear attack, those kinds of things. That was way back in the old days. Since then, those have been modified and brought forward, and around the nation they’re used for a lot of different things.”

To date there has never been a nationwide use of the EAS, as there’s never been a catastrophic national incident that required mass notification. EAS is more commonly used at the local level for things such as tornado warnings or Amber Alerts. The test will start around 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, and should take about one minute if everything goes as planned. In the event of an actual emergency, such as severe weather, Raccoon Valley Radio will bring live coverage of the event to keep those in our listening area safe.

For more information about the EAS test, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.