The provincial government is giving British Columbians plenty of warning in advance of its next Alert Ready system test.
Smartphones, radios and televisions will be sounding off a signal November 16 at 1:55 p.m. as part of the semi-annual systems check. The last one was conducted on May 5 at 1:55 p.m.
A spokesperson for Alert Ready reached out to Castanet to make sure we gave our audience plenty of warning ahead of the test. "We're just letting all the major media know, getting a little bit ahead of it so when it does happen, so it doesn't take anyone by surprise."
The spokesperson indicates the test is being done in case of floods and other disasters, like wildfires.
"I hate to use the term atmospheric river, but you know, if there's imminent flooding coming someone's way, then they would get that notification on their phone. Every time we test this, we get ideas to make it more and more accurate," said the government spokesperson.
The signal is a test to assess Alert Ready's overall emergency-response management and they take notes to find where improvements are needed when it comes to public safety.
The test message will read as follows:
“This is a TEST of the British Columbia Emergency Alerting System, issued by Emergency Management British Columbia. This is ONLY a TEST. If this had been an actual emergency or threat, you would now hear instructions that would assist you to protect you and your family. For further information go to www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca. This is ONLY a TEST, no action is required.”
For more information, or to see if your smartphone is compatible with the program, you can visit Alert Ready's website.
