Today at 1:55 p.m., BC will conduct a test of the Alert Ready emergency broadcast system.
Alerts will be sent to mobile phones across the province. It will play an emergency tone and a notification on the phone’s lock screen that no action is required – people should not call emergency services with questions or complain about alarms, as these need to be free to provide access to people in actual emergencies help.
Phones must be powered on, connected to a mobile network and have the latest software installed to receive alerts.
On May 3, the B.C. government announced that the Alert Readiness System would be expanded to include flood and wildfire evacuations. Previously, the system was dedicated to Amber Alerts, earthquake and tsunami warnings.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said, “While it’s important to remember that public emergency alerts are meant to complement and not replace emergency alerts already implemented by BC Emergency Management and local governments, broadcasting intrusive alerts is critical in terms of their reach and impact. has unique advantages,” .
Last year, Alert Ready was used to issue 173 warnings across Canada for wildfires, tornadoes, flash floods, Amber Alerts, civil emergencies, police emergencies and drinking water warnings.
– Documents from Canadian media
emergency alert system