Plans are afoot for a nationwide trial of the comprehensive UK “Armageddon alert” system, with millions poised to hear their phones emit a siren and vibrate persistently.
Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, spoke to the Mirror about maintaining public awareness: “Most countries that have this system test it quite regularly and so we don’t want it just to be once years ago and then everybody forgets it exists. This should be part of our armoury in warning people about major risks.”
What exactly is the emergency alert mechanism? Here are the essentials you need to know. Initially trialled last year, its purpose is to swiftly inform the populace of imminent dangers in proximity, via their mobiles or similar devices like iPads.
Such systems are commonplace internationally to convey warnings about extreme weather or other menaces. Within Britain’s shores, this alert system is anticipated to be deployed for scenarios such as rampant wildfires or intense floods. Its capabilities were recently harnessed on a limited scale during Storm Darragh, where it transmitted critical warnings about perilous 90mph gusts to over three million people.
How will it function?
Your smartphone will simultaneously vibrate vigorously and unleash an audible siren for up to a solid ten seconds. Concurrently, a message will pop-up on your display resembling a standard notification, which must be acknowledged before you can proceed with using your device.
The alert will detail the danger and offer advice, including additional resources such as websites or phone numbers to contact. It’s recommended that you immediately halt your activities and follow the instructions provided.
Motorists are urged to pull over at the earliest safe and legal opportunity to read the message. If this isn’t feasible, tuning into live radio broadcasts can provide updates on local situations.
How will the test operate?
Approximately 87 million phones will receive an alert when the system undergoes testing this year. The message will read: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
“In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.”
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While no specific date has been set for the test, it will be widely advertised beforehand. A public information campaign was launched prior to the nationwide test in 2023 to prepare people.
How does the Government have my number?
They don’t. The alert is sent by mobile phone masts to all eligible phones in the vicinity.
It works on smartphones with 4G and 5G capabilities. Therefore, the Government doesn’t have your phone number and can’t access your personal data.
Can you opt out?
Yes, you can, by adjusting your phone settings. To do this, search for ’emergency alerts’, and deactivate ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.
Authorities are hopeful that individuals will keep the alert system activated as it could potentially save lives and won’t be used frequently. However, an opt-out function is available for those who may be put at risk by the alert itself.
Domestic abuse campaigners have raised concerns that it could inadvertently reveal hidden phones of victims to their abusers, hence the option to disable it. For those without a smartphone, the alert system won’t work.
Nevertheless, emergency services can still communicate dangers through other means such as TV news and live radio broadcasts.
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