The LECC is responsible for managing the Emergency Alert System for the Inland Northwest region. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a media-based alerting system that is designed to transmit emergency alerts and warnings to the American public at the national, state and local levels through TV, radio, etc.
The EAS has been in existence since 1994, and its precursor, the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), began in 1963. Television and radio broadcasters, satellite radio and satellite television providers, as well as cable television and wire line video providers all participate in the system (collectively, EAS participants).
EAS participants broadcast thousands of alerts and warnings to the American public each year regarding weather threats, child abductions, and many other types of emergencies. As such, the EAS functions as an integral component of the national alert and warning system. The national system sends alerts over multiple communications platforms, including mobile communications devices (i.e. mobile phones).