Emergency Alert System To Be Installed In All Phones In UK To Warn The Citizens Of Life-threatening Events

A siren-like emergency notification alert will be sent to mobile phone users across the UK. The initiative has been taken to test the new public warning system over life-threatening circumstances like severe weather forecasts. It was announced by the British Government on Sunday. The Uk-based alert test will be initiated in the early evening of April 23. The people will receive test messages on their mobile devices. 

The government has stated that the new emergency alerts will be used on very rare occasions. It would be only sent when the lives of the people are at immediate risk. So it may mean that the people might not receive notifications for months or years.

It has not been specified, but the terror alerts had been written on the list of potential events that could cause an emergency response over the period.

Oliver Dowden, the Cabinet Office Minister, has stated that they are strengthening the national resilient system with a new emergency alerts system to deal with threats ranging from floods to wildfires.

He added the emergency notification system would help to revolutionize the country’s ability to warn and inform the people about immediate danger and help them be safe. The buzz of a phone can save lives, as is seen in the US and other nations.

The Cabinet officer has even stated that the collaboration with the mobile broadcasting technology will help to transform Uk’s Emergency Alert System, which would change the UK’s warning and informing ability. It would provide a medium to send urgent messages quickly to 90 percent of the mobile devices in a defined region and provide details on responding to the circumstances.

The rollout of the new system has been successfully tested in East Suffolk and has been defined as providing plans for an ever-evolving range of disasters.

The emergency alerts will be received from governmental or emergency services, and they will issue a warning with information about the area impacted by the disaster and provide information on how to respond, linking to the official website where the individuals can receive further information.

Recently, the same step has been initiated by Germany. After an update to the previous national warning system, all mobile phones will receive any notification about the catastrophe in the area. But the launch of the notification system named Warnrtag has scopes of improvement.

The alert system has been launched on December 2022. The German Government has called the test successful, but it has confused some citizens as they did not receive any notifications on their devices.

Emergency Alert System: A Tool To Avoid Catastrophe?

During a national emergency, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is an integrated national warning system that allows the president to address the nation within 10 minutes. State and local governments may also use the system to deliver critical emergency information such as weather forecasts, imminent threats, AMBER alerts, and local incident reports to specific areas.

Broadcasters, satellite digital sound services, satellite direct broadcast providers, cable television systems, and wireless cable systems transmit the EAS.

The President has sole authority over when the national-level EAS will be activated. National-level tests and exercises are overseen by FEMA and the FCC.

When all other means of alerting the public are unavailable, the EAS is used.

According to the notification system, if a phone user receives an emergency alert, he is advised to stop what they are doing and follow the instructions on the alert. The advice has even noted that it is easy to disable emergency alerts through the settings of the device, but it is not recommended because the notifications can be life-saving.

Chief of the National fires Council, Mark Hardingham, has welcomed the system, stating that the emergency alert system will help to provide alerts to help perform their jobs and safeguard the communities during emergencies during fire and rescue services in the country.