UK Government has launched a UK-wide Emergency Alerts service. A UK-wide test is due on Sunday, April 23, that will see people receive a test message on their mobile phones. A loud, siren-like sound and vibration will accompany the message for up to ten seconds.
This comes after tests in East Suffolk and Reading. When receiving such a message you do not need to do anything; the siren will stop automatically. A welcome message will stay on screen until you acknowledge it, like a ‘low battery’ warning.
The alerts will only come from the Government or emergency services, where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives; and the senders will issue a warning, detail the area affected, and give instructions about how best to respond – linking to gov.uk/alerts where people can receive further info. The United States, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan are among users of a similar service. Alerts are free to receive, and one-way. They do not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal data, Government stresses.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden, said: “We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alerts system, to deal with a wide range of threats – from flooding to wild fires. It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe. As we’ve seen in the U.S. and elsewhere, the buzz of a phone can save a life.”
You can opt out of the emergency alerts system in your phone’s settings, search for “emergency alerts”, and turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’. You will not receive alerts if your device is turned off or in airplane mode.
For use of the Everbridge emergency alert in Florida, see the Everbridge website. Other US users include the Grand Canyon National Park. Everbridge are among the sponsors of the annual ASIS Europe exhibition in Rotterdam; Tracy Reinhold, CSO at Everbridge, is today speaking at the event, on building organisational resilience.
Picture by Mark Rowe; parched grass, near Epping Forest, north London, last summer.
