Emergency alert test coming to cellphones, TV, radio
By Province of British Columbia
At 1:55 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, a test of the National Public Alerting System will occur to improve public safety in the event of an emergency.
The test alert will go to all compatible cellphones, as well as interrupt radio and television broadcasts.
The test message to cellphones will read: “This is a TEST of the BC Emergency Alert system. This is ONLY a TEST. In an emergency, this message would tell you what to do to stay safe. This information could save your life. Click for more info: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/event/test/ This is ONLY a TEST. No action is required.”
This test will assess the system’s readiness for an emergency and identify any required adjustments. The BC Emergency Alert system was launched on April 6, 2018, and is tested twice a year in spring and fall.
The National Public Alerting System is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as industry partners. It provides a standard alerting capability to rapidly warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards and threats to life and safety.
Recognizing the importance of this tool, in 2022, the Province expanded the use of BC Emergency Alerts beyond tsunami warnings to include imminent threats from floods, wildfires and extreme-heat emergencies.
This year, the Province, in partnership with the federal government, announced that the Earthquake Early Warning system in British Columbia is operational. This system will automatically issue a BC Emergency Alert before strong shaking is felt, to give precious seconds of warning for people to better protect themselves and others.
Police issue alerts for civil emergencies and Amber Alerts.
During the 2023 and 2024 wildfire seasons, tens of thousands of people were asked to evacuate on short notice due to the threat of wildfires. BC Emergency Alerts are an important tool to provide people with timely, life-saving information.
Quick Facts:
- To receive alerts, cellphones must be connected to an LTE cellular network. The device must be turned on and cannot be set to do not disturb or airplane mode, be alert-compatible, be within the alert area and have up-to-date cellular software.
- Alerts will be broadcast automatically at no cost to the user.
- Following a 2014 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision, all radio and television broadcasters in Canada are mandated to broadcast public alerts.
- On April 6, 2017, the CRTC mandated wireless service providers be capable of sending wireless public alerts in Canada by April 6, 2018.
- British Columbians can participate in a short online survey following the test to help determine the reach of the Alert Ready test. This survey is administered by Public Emergency Alerting Services Inc.:
- Survey link in English: https://peasi.com/emergency-alert-test-survey.html
- Survey link in French: https://peasi.com/enquete-de-test-dalerte-durgence.html
Learn More:
To learn about BC Emergency Alerts, visit:
www.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts
- When you might receive an emergency alert:
http://www.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts/how-alerts-work - What to do if you receive an emergency alert:
http://www.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts/receive-emergency-alert
For information during active provincial emergencies, visit EmergencyInfoBC: EmergencyInfoBC.ca
and follow on X (formerly Twitter): http://www.twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC
PreparedBC is a one-stop shop for disaster readiness information.
For tips about how to prepare an emergency plan and what to include in an emergency kit, visit: http://www.preparedbc.ca/
or follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PreparedBC/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/PreparedBC
or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepared_bc/
