If you hear your phone go off on Wednesday (Nov. 25) afternoon, or see a strange notification pop up, don’t worry – it’s all part of an emergency alert system test.
The alert is part of a twice yearly test of the national Alert Ready system which was launched in B.C. more than two years ago. In a news release, the B.C. government noted that the test scheduled for May was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The test will see an alert broadcast on radio and TV, as well as on wireless devices. In order to get the alert on wireless devices such as your cell phone, they must be connected to a cellular network, be within the alert area and be up-to-date. Older cell phones that operate exclusively on non-LTE networks will not get an alert.
The alert is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. Pacific time. The test message will read: “This is a TEST of the British Columbia Emergency Alerting System, issued by Emergency Management British Columbia. This is ONLY a TEST. If this had been an actual emergency or threat, you would now hear instructions that would assist you to protect you and your family. For further information go to www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca. This is ONLY a TEST, no action is required.”
British Columbians who want to give feedback about the test can visit: https://peasi.com/alert-ready-survey-coming-soon.
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