New Jersey State Emergency Communications Committee

“Silver Alert”

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:35:46 +0000

Assemblywoman Sandra Love of South Jersey is sponsoring a “Silver Alert” bill in the NJ legislature that if passed would require the New Jersey State Police to trigger an EAS alert for missing senior citizens. The State Police estimate the number of alerts could well top 500 annually. While all agree that some type of alerting system is needed to aid in finding missing Alzheimer’s patients, etc., EAS is not that system. Those opposing this legislation are the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit, the New Jersey Broadcasters Association and the NJSECC.

If this bill is passed you might want to check with your FCC attorney for liabilities if you chose not to air the alert.

An Important Reminder!

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:34:19 +0000

NJSECC Chair Rich Archut has received correspondence from the FCC aimed at reminding broadcasters and cable outlets that full power television stations will cease analog operation on February 18, 2009. If you are monitoring New Jersey Network (NJN) television for EAS you will need to replace or modify your receiver and antenna for the new digital signal! You should make this change as soon as possible and no later than December 31, 2008. Many retail outlets sell converter boxes that should make the transition to digital television easy. If you have any questions please contact the NJSECC.

One Step Closer…

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:33:36 +0000

…is the best way to describe it. Many industry insiders expect the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) to be the new standard for EAS sometime in the first quarter of 2009. While some equipment manufacturers are waiting for CAP to be finalized others are already offering CAP compliant equipment. Exactly how the implementation of CAP will affect the equipment you have in your rack is still undetermined. CAP will most likely bring changes in the NJ EAS plan. Participants in the EAS (broadcasters, cable outlets, and state and local emergency managers) will be required to be in compliance with CAP1.1 standard within 180 days of its formal adoption by FEMA.

If you would like to learn more about CAP you can visit the Society of Broadcast Engineers website at www.sbe.org

NJ Public Information Officer Summit

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:32:47 +0000

New Jersey Emergency Communications Committee Chairman Rich Archut explained the NJ EAS plan and answered questions at a September meeting of NJ Public Information Officers. A good Q&A session was held with the PIO’S looking to make recommendations to the NJSECC that will improve existing practices and thereby maximize message reach.

News in Brief - Oct 2008

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:32:02 +0000

Congratulations to Jerome Hatfield of the NJ Office of Emergency Management on his promotion to the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Paul S. Rotella, Esq. has been named the new Executive Director of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association. Rotella will take over for Philip Roberts who will retire at the end of this year.

EAS Question

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:30:59 +0000

One of the most commonly asked EAS question is:

“How can I get a copy of the New Jersey EAS Plan?” Answer: The plan can be downloaded from the NJSECC website or by requesting a printed copy from Bob Schroeder at the NJ Office of Emergency Management. Bob can be reached at (609) 963-6954.

Another frequently asked question is:

“Do I have to initiate my own Required Monthly Test (RMT)?” Answer: No! New Jersey Network is the only NJSECC approved source for initiating RMT’s. All other EAS participants are required to pass through NJN’s test within an hour of receiving it. [edit: the sooner the better]

PEP Update

Administrator — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:30:59 +0000

Plans to have a Primary Entry Point (PEP) station in south Jersey are still being looked at and evaluated according to FEMA sources. A Primary Entry Point Advisory Committee list identifying the South Jersey, South-eastern PA and northern Delaware region as needing a PEP station is being reviewed by FEMA.

The nearest PEP stations serving those areas is WABC in New York and WBAL, Baltimore. Neither station can be heard in the highly populated tri-state region. PEP stations are national EAS stations.

This is a test…

Administrator — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:45:30 +0000

On May 21, 2008 NJOEM Communications Officer Bob Schroeder, NJ SECC Chair Rich Archut, NJN DOE Bill Schnorbus, and representatives from Spectra Corp. and FEMA were on hand to test NJN’s new DEAS system. The test signal originated in Virginia and was relayed through the NPR system to NJN where it was transmitted to a receiver at NJOEM in West Trenton. The test went well except for a “clock” problem.

DEAS utilizes satellite technology to deliver alerts via web-based text and audio messaging and is another tool available to emergency management officials to notify the public in the event of a national or state emergency. FEMA plans to roll out DEAS to at least 5 new states before the year is over.

Learning From Other Peoples Mistakes

Administrator — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:45:16 +0000

Recently the FCC fined 2 stations for EAS violations stemming from their use of a shared EAS encoder-decoder box. FCC rules state that co-owned, co-located stations can share an EAS box. But stations that are co-located and not co-owned must have their own EAS equipment [section 11.51 (1)].

FCC First Responders Summit

Administrator — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:44:56 +0000

The FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will be hosting a Summit on Pandemic Preparedness; Enhancing Communications Response for Health Care and First Responders, Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 9:00a.m- 1:15 p.m., in the Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305). The Summit will focus on communications and coordination between the health care sector, first responders, government and industry in preparation for a pandemic. Panel discussions will include how the communications industry will serve an instrumental role in such a response.