Tens of millions of Britons on Sunday received a message and loud alarm as the government tested its first-ever life-saving Emergency Alerts warning system. The message read “Keep Calm and Carry On, this is just a test” and was sent to every 4G and 5G-enabled smartphone in the country.
According to reports, the alert was sent at 2:59 pm local time, a minute earlier than previously publicised and lasted about 10 seconds. The authorities are hopeful that the new emergency service would get the public used to what the alerts look like so that they can be sent if the need arises during any future crisis.
“Keep Calm and Carry On” is a phrase that the British Ministry of Defence used during World War II. Its use to officially test the emergency alert system was also mentioned by newly crowned Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden who referred to it as the ‘British way’.
“Whilst today’s 10-second national test may be inconvenient for some, please forgive the intrusion because the next time you hear the alert, your life and the lifesaving actions of our emergency services could depend on it,” said Alex Woodman, Chief Fire Officer for Hertfordshire and Resilience Lead on the National Fire Chiefs Council.
How is the alert sent?
Explaining how the alerts work, the authorities stated the emergency messages are broadcast via mobile phone masts to all 4G and 5G phone networks. Meaning, the sender of the alert does not need your number. No location or other data will be collected for the purpose either. During the pandemic, the government sent alerts using SMS, directly to phone numbers.
Anyone in the range of the mast gets the alert and it can be fine-tuned based on geography. A Liverpool resident would not be sent the alert for an earthquake that poses danger, say in London.
Moreover, those not wanting to receive the alerts can simply opt out by going into the device settings or switching off their phones or keeping them in flight mode.
The Tory government said the experts analysed the emergency alert systems in other countries and concluded that they work more efficiently in a real crisis when people have previously received a test, so they know what an alert looks and sounds like. The US, Canada and Japan are few of the countries where such alerts are the norm.
The critics of the service, however, have argued that the alerts could startle those driving vehicles on roads, leading to accidents while domestic violence victims, who keep a secret phone may be outed by it.
(With inputs from agencies)
