The UK Government’s “Emergency Alerts” system is now live.
Emergency Alerts is a service from the UK Government designed to warn you of nearby threats to life.
With the new service now live a national test is expected to be conducted by the UK government on Sunday 23rd April 2023 at 3pm (More Information about the alert message from gov.uk).
How do the emergency alerts work?
In an emergency, mobile phone masts in the surrounding area of the risk will broadcast an alert. Every compatible mobile phone in range of a mast should receive the alert.
Emergency alerts work on all 4G and 5G phone networks in the UK.
Emergency alerts are free. You do not need to sign up for them or download an app.
They don’t track your location, need your phone number or collect personal data. If you don’t have a compatible mobile phone you will still be kept informed through normal channels.
(The emergency services have other means to warn you if there is a threat to life.)
Why would I get an Alert?
The alert system should warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby.
For example you may get an alert to warn of:
- Severe flooding
- Fires
- Extreme weather
Emergency alerts will only be sent by:
- The emergency services
- Government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies
What to do If I get an Alert?
If you get an Emergency Alert on your phone, you’ll hear a loud siren-like sound. A message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and how best to respond. You’ll be able to check an alert is genuine at https://www.gov.uk/alerts. If you do receive an alert please read it carefully and follow the instructions.
If you are driving or riding when you receive an alert:
- You should not read or otherwise respond to an emergency alert whilst driving or riding a motorcycle.
- If you are driving, you should continue to drive and not respond to the noise or attempt to pick up the mobile phone and deal with the message.
- Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message. If there is nowhere safe or legal to stop close by, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop.
It is illegal to use a hand-held device while driving or riding.
Whilst here at GloucesterToday we prefer to report on ‘local’ news; We found this information could be relevant for Gloucester as it is a national service and wanted to give our followers a heads up.
GloucesterToday.co.uk
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