Emergency test is nothing to be alarmed about

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This article was published 14/11/2023 (776 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prepare for the unmistakable sound of a high-pitched alarm that will come to your mobile device, television, and radio on Wednesday afternoon, when the province conducts its emergency test broadcast.

Manitobans can expect to hear the test signal from Alert Ready, a national emergency alert system, at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday.

Alert Ready was set up to notify all Canadians about potentially life-threatening events by radio, cable and satellite television, websites, and compatible wireless devices.

It’s just one of the ways to keep Manitobans safe, said Lisa Naylor, Manitoba’s minister of transportation and infrastructure.

“Our ability to connect and communicate potentially life-saving information to Manitobans in an emergency is critical. Periodic testing through alerts is necessary to make sure these systems are ready when we need them,” Naylor told the Sun.

Manitobans have been hearing the wailing emergency alerts since the mid 1990s — through broadcasting companies on radios and television sets.

But if the radio or television was not on, the alert would not be heard. And as time progressed, cell phones were becoming more popular, which prompted the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to make changes with its broadcasters.

In 2014, the CRTC ordered all radio and television stations, and digital multichannel television providers to participate in the National Public Alerting System (NPAS), which is now called Alert Ready.

Wireless carriers were given a deadline of 2018, using software called the National Alert Aggregation, and Dissemination system, or NAAD.

NAAD was built in 2010 by Pelmorex Media, which is the owner of The Weather Network. It ran pilot programs for years with the cooperation of the Canadian government to ensure the program’s success, said Kurt Eby, the company’s director of regulatory, government and affiliate relations.

When there is a need for an alert in Manitoba, it is sent out by law enforcement personnel or the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization within the provincial government.

The representative accesses the NAAD system using a secure login, adds the type of alert, instructions for the public, and hits send, said Eby.

“The NAAD system puts out a file that has all the contents of the alert with the geographic areas where it has to go and for how long — they always have an expiry date and time on them.

“The wireless providers are the ones that get that information to your phone, we don’t take over the phones. They have the technology in their network to take that file and distribute it to the right place,” said Eby.

There are 31 emergency alert types and one test notification that are sent through Alert Ready. The list was agreed upon by a group of federal, provincial and territory emergency management officials, as well representatives from Public Safety Canada.

All weather alerts are sent out by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“These are events that are an immediate threat to life or property, so severe thunderstorm, tornado, Amber alert, flash flood, forest fire, chemical fire, hurricane. There are even ones for earthquake and tsunami, but those are less applicable to Canada. What we see most in Canada are tornadoes, Amber alerts, flash floods and forest fire,” Eby said.

In 2022, there were 115 emergency alerts in Manitoba, including one Amber alert, 102 notifications about tornadoes, eight thunderstorms, and four civil emergencies, which happen when a person or persons disrupt services that require support, law enforcement, or attention.

The sound of the alarm is called the Canadian alert attention signal. It has an eight-second sequence with alternating tones that last half a second with a frequency and tone that were designed to catch people’s attention.

Eby said he has heard some negative feedback, but added, “This is important — this could save your life or save the life of a child who’s been abducted. We hear stories all the time because we’re close to the folks who send them. We hear about people who got their kids out of the yard, got in the basement, or out of the barn before a tornado went through and ripped everything down.

“We also hear from police about the high percentage of Amber alerts that result in very quick resolution, even when an abductor received the alert and has driven to the police station themselves, because they know everyone’s now looking for them,” Eby said.

“So, it’s incredible, it’s super powerful. We think it’s great, and we want it to be used and used the right way to save lives.”

The Alert Ready testing is not only good for the public, Eby added, but it’s a great opportunity for team members and those who upload the alerts, to see the program in action – to see “a real task with real text and real people which is obviously really important.”

If a mobile device is on Wi-Fi only and not connected to a cellular network, it will not receive the alert, nor will the device if it’s on airplane mode.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele