Bedford Borough Council is reminding residents to be aware of the government’s new public Emergency Alerts system which will be tested at 3pm on Sunday, 23 April.
The UK-wide test will sound a synchronised alert on mobile phones, but it is possible to opt out.
The Emergency Alerts system is a UK government service which will enable people to be contacted via their mobile phone when lives are in danger.
It will be used to warn you in the event of emergencies, such as severe flooding, fires or extreme weather.
The government says Emergency Alerts have already been used successfully in a number of other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan, where it has been widely credited with saving lives, for example, during severe weather events.
A week before the scheduled test, the government outlined what to expect at 3pm on Sunday 23 April.
When you get an emergency alert, your mobile phone or tablet may:
- make a loud siren-like sound, even if it’s set on silent
- vibrate
- read out the alert
- the sound and vibration will last for about 10 seconds
“Alerts are based on your current location – not where you live or work,” said a statement from Bedford Borough Council.
“You do not need to turn on location services to receive alerts. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels to warn you when there is a threat to life.
“You will not receive an alert if your device is turned off, in airplane mode, connected to a 2G or 3G network or is Wi-Fi only.”
How to opt out
According to the government’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the test, it is possible to opt out from receiving emergency alerts.
Police forces and charities working with victims of abuse have highlighted that it is important you know how to do this should you have a mobile phone hidden from an abuser or have vulnerable friends/family members who may be scared by the alerts.
iPhone
To turn off on an iPhone, Open settings, Select ‘Notifications’ and scroll to the bottom until you see ‘Emergency Alerts’, or search for ‘Emergency Alerts’ then Turn off ‘Extreme alerts’ and ‘Severe alerts’
Android
To turn off on an Android phone and tablet, search your settings for ‘Emergency Alerts’ and turn off Severe Alerts and Emergency Alerts
Huawei
On Huawei devices running EMUI 11 or older, search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’ and please turn off “Extreme threats”, “Severe threats” and “Show amber alerts”
You can also visit the government website gov.uk/alerts for the latest information or see the latest news.
