Fraser Valley/Victoria – At 1:55 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, November 16, Emergency Management BC will conduct a test of B.C.’s emergency alerting system as part of the national Alert Ready system to improve public safety in the event of emergency.
The system was launched in B.C. on April 6, 2018, and is tested twice each year.
In spring 2022, the Province expanded the Alert Ready system to include alerts for wildfires, floods and extreme-heat emergencies, in addition to tsunamis, civil emergencies and Amber Alerts.
During the test, an alert will be broadcast on radio and TV stations, as well as to compatible wireless devices, such as cellphones. The message will read: “This is a TEST of the BC emergency alert system, issued by Emergency Management BC. This is ONLY a TEST. In an actual emergency, this message would contain instructions to help keep you and your community safe. Learn more about how, when and why emergency alerts are issued in BC at www.emergencyinfobc.ca/alert. This is ONLY a TEST. No action is required.”
The National Public Alerting System, publicly branded as Alert Ready, is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial and territorial governments as well as industry partners. It provides a standard alerting capability to rapidly warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life safety.
