Hazard Management Cayman Islands and the Department of Public Safety and Communication are to begin testing the National Emergency Notification System’s Radio Alert System this week. We would be grateful if you could assist with informing the public about these tests.

All radio broadcasts will be briefly interrupted on the following dates whilst we conduct this important testing.

Friday 30th August – attention signal tone only

Tuesday 3rd September at 11:30am – attention signal tone and text to speech message

Friday 6th September at 11:30am - attention signal tone and text to speech message

During the test, the below message will be played advising the public that it is a test.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

This is the Cayman Islands Government with a coordinated test of the National Emergency Notification System. Broadcasters are testing equipment used to warn you during an emergency. This concludes the test.

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

THE
CAYMAN ISLANDS NATIONAL EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

What
is the National Emergency Notification System (NENS)?

It
is a system for getting public safety messages to as wide an audience
as possible in the Cayman Islands in an efficient and timely manner.

Why
is it needed?

The
Cayman Islands is vulnerable to natural hazards such as hurricanes,
earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, as well as threats from incidents
such as transportation accidents, chemical spills and fires. In
certain circumstances, public safety can be improved through the
prompt issuance of information to residents about threats and
recommended response actions.

Is
it required by Law?

Yes,
The Disaster Preparedness and Hazard Management Law (2019 Revision)
states: There shall be established a National Emergency Notification
System (NENS) for the Islands operated under the supervision of the
Director (Of Hazard Management Cayman Islands). The National
Emergency Notification System shall enable the Government to
broadcast emergency announcements to the public on such frequency or
in such manner as is specified in a memorandum of understanding
between the Government and a person who is licensed to operate an ICT
Network under the Information and Communications Technology Authority
Law (2019 Revision).

What
does the Law state about who is authorized to initiate a National
Emergency Notification?

No announcement shall be broadcast on the NENS unless it
is in writing and approved and signed by a Chairman of the Management
Executive or the Chairman of the Management Council in consultation
with the Director, except in the event of a sudden onset like a
tsunami or an earthquake, which requires swift notification to the
public, the Director may authorise the broadcast of an emergency
announcement and shall notify the Chairman of the Management
Executive or the Chairman of the Management Council of the broadcast
as soon as is practicable thereafter.

Can
other Departments or Agencies use the National Emergency Notification
System?

Yes,
provided that the message is first approved by either the Chairman
of the Management Executive or the Chairman of the Management Council
in consultation with the Director of HMCI. It is anticipated that
entities such as the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the Cayman
Islands Airports Authority, the Cayman Islands Fire Service, the
Department of Environment, the Department of Environmental Health,
the Health Services Authority and the Cayman Islands National Weather
Service can request the use of the NENS system to deliver vital
public safety messages if the need arises.

What
is Phase 1?

Phase
I of the NENS is a partnership between the Ministry of Financial
Services and Home Affairs, Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI),
the Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), the Utility
Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) and local radio operators.
Equipment has been purchased and installed by Government to enable an
emergency message to be simultaneously distributed across all radio
stations in the Cayman Islands.

Where
are we at with Phase 1?

It
is ready to launch! The first public test will take place on August
30th, the second test September 3rd and third test on September 6th
(same time for all tests - 11:30 am). The first test will consist
of an attention signal tone only. While the 2nd and 3rd test will
include an attention signal tone as well as a text to speech test
broadcast message that is estimated to last about twenty 20 seconds.
The alerts can be issued remotely without any action being taken by
radio operations. Very simply the radio programming is interrupted
for the duration of the short alert message.

What
does Government expect of the Radio Operators?

Licensed
radio operators in the Cayman Islands will sign a MOU with Government
as a stipulation of their license agreement under the ICTA Law (2019
Revision) and in accordance with the Disaster Preparedness and Hazard
Management Law (2019 revision), that is about all they need to do
other than occasionally allowing technicians to check that the
equipment is working and replacing parts if necessary.

Is Phase 1 going to be
effective?

Government
of course recognizes that residents are not always tuned into the
radio, but it is an important first step, and the Cayman Islands will
be one of the first countries in the Caribbean to have a National
Alert System in place. Radio is also a very important communications
vehicle in the aftermath of a disaster, especially if there is an
extended power outage. Radio stations can typically get signals out
to the public using a generator if they have to, ensuring that
residents will still receive critical messages even with a battery
operated radio. It also provides a cost effective solution and is
robust.

Where do we go from
here?

HMCI and its partners are appreciative of the support and commitment shown by the radio stations for Phase 1 and hopefully the test will be a success. Government has already laid the ground work for the next phase of the NENS which will include placing crawling text across cable television channels. Also, an emergency app is planned whereby residents who sign up for the app will receive emergency messages to their smart phones. All these different mechanisms to deliver emergency alerts will originate from a single dashboard – in other words a single message can be sent simultaneously across multiple channels – such as the radio, cable television and to the emergency app.