THE Government has launched an emergency alert service that will notify people about potential life-threatening events near them via their mobile phones.
The system will enable people to be contacted via their mobile phone when lives are in danger. It will be used to warn you in the event of emergencies, such as severe flooding, fires and extreme weather.
There will be a test alert sent out on Sunday 23rd April to trial the system.
The alert will say: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK Government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
“In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
“Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
“This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”
An Emergency Alert will look and sound very different to other types of messages. You’ll know if you get an Emergency Alert because you’ll hear a loud siren-like sound and your phone will use a distinct vibration. A message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and what you need to do, with advice about how to stay safe.
When you get an alert you should stop what you’re doing and follow the instructions in the alert.
You have to acknowledge the alert before you can use your phone’s other features.
The US, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands already have a similar system in place.
If you do not have a mobile, you will still be kept informed of dangers through other channels, e.g. through the media, community organisations and local emergency services.
The likelihood of receiving a message in any given year is low. The most frequent use is expected to be for flooding.
The alerts will be sent based on your current location at the time, not based on where you live or work.
On the government website it says that alerts will only be sent by, ‘the emergency services, government departments, agencies, and public bodies that deal with emergencies.’
For more information about the test and the action to take when an alert is sent when there is a threat to life, visit the government website, https://www.gov.uk/alerts
