I read the article about the EBS with great interest.
The only time that I have heard the EBS signal when it was not a test was during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Basically the purpose for the message was to give curfew information that was imposed at the time.
Nowadays you get a verbal message announcing the test and a few strange sounding tones. The whole thing is over in about 15 seconds. Also there is no verbal message following the tone saying, “if this had been an actual emergency…”.