2nd Annual Alert and Warning TEST Message
When:A TEST Alert and Warning message will be sent to ALL of Pennington County’s available alert and warning methods on Wednesday, March 20, at 1:30 PM Mountain Time.
The test message will be sent by:
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to cell phones that have WEA test messages enabled
- Emergency Alert System (EAS) via participating television and radio broadcasters
- Weather Radios - All Hazards tuned into our area SAME codes
- Pennington County Outdoor Alert Sirens
- Public Warning Messages to subscribers
The goal of this test is to have the best possible saturation of Pennington County residents and businesses, using all our emergency alert and warning capabilities. We want to make sure individuals are aware of the emergency messaging dissemination methods that exist in Pennington County and how the community can receive alerts and warnings issued by public alerting authorities during emergencies.
This 2nd Annual Alert and Warning test message allows businesses, schools, and medical facilities an opportunity to test their procedures, and are encouraged to use this test message as an exercise for their staff, faculty, or students where appropriate.
Emergency Warning Dissemination Methods in Pennington County include:
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) –WEA is a public safety system that allows enabled mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area, with a unique sound and vibration. Check your device settings to ensure it is enabled to receive a WEA TEST message. Seek out your mobile phone manufacturer or wireless provider for specific instructions to access hidden menus or functions where the WEA Test alerts can be enabled.
- Emergency Alert System (EAS) – The Emergency Alert System is a national public warning system that requires TV and radio broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers, and wireline video service providers to offer to deliver important emergency information from the President or AMBER (missing children) alerts and emergency weather information targeted to a specific area. If you turn on your television to a local broadcast station at the time of the test, you should see the message from participating media partners.
- Weather Radio All-Hazard – A NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You must have a NOAA weather radio tuned into our SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) code to receive the test message. Find the code for your area in Pennington County at this link: https://www.pennco.org/wradio
- Outdoor Alert Sirens – Outdoor Alert Siren activations in Pennington County are a steady, constant tone, (not a beeping or high/low tone) and can be heard if you are outdoors and near a siren location when it is activated for a test or an actual event.
- Public Warning Messages – Businesses and residents listed in the Pennington County 911 database (landlines) have been automatically added to receive alerts by landline phone. Citizens can self-register and provide additional contact information paths—such as a cell phone, text, home phone, or other methods. Sign up at https://www.pennco.org/pubwarnmsg to ensure you receive the messages sent through this method and to ensure you receive the test message on March 20 through this notification method.
During a rapidly evolving incident in Pennington County, we will use all available and appropriate warning tools to alert the community of any life-threatening, all-risk, all-hazard emergency from natural threats or human-caused threats. Learn more about each of the Emergency Warning methods used in Pennington County at www.pennco.org/messaging.
Visit www.rcpcem.com for safety tips and information to keep your family safe and learn how to plan for disasters and emergencies.