Bannock County partnering with FCC to test, assess wireless emergency alerts
BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and the Bannock County Office of Emergency Management are partnering with the FCC to assess the geographic accuracy of Wireless Emergency Alerts.
Planned tests will be performed all across the country on September 12 and 13, 2022 in which the FCC will send an alert to the public in a targeted area.
Bannock County will test a 1.5 square mile radius in the Inkom City area at 10 a.m. local time exactly, on Tuesday, Sept. 13. A backup date is set for Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. in case of an unavoidable conflict.
The alert will sound and appear on compatible mobile devices using participating wireless networks in that area, but it will make clear that it is only a test. The alert message will contain a link for the recipient to complete a survey about their receipt of the alert.
These tests are meant to assess the geographic accuracy of the alerts in addition to other performance factors, including reliability and speed.
Bannock County is one of 42 state and local government agencies in the nation to partner with the FCC for these tests.
Wireless Emergency Alerts are used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations. Bannock County uses Alert Sense to send emergency alerts. To subscribe to alerts, click HERE.
