City to use mobile devices to notify citizens of emergency situations
One of the best ways to be prepared for an emergency is to stay informed. Canada has a new national wireless public alerting system, Alert Ready, to help citizens stay informed and safe during critical emergency situations.
On April 6, all Calgarians with a smartphone (with LTE service) will have the capacity to receive emergency alert messages from the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, Calgary Police Service (Amber Alerts) and Environment Canada. When an alert is received, The City urges citizens to take action safely, particularly if the alert is received while operating a vehicle.
Tom Sampson, Chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, said “This will be a valuable way to reach people who live, work and visit Calgary. We know that many of our citizens always have their mobile devices within reach so in a time when minutes matter, it will be critical to have access to a system that can deliver information directly to the individual. This will add to the ways we already communicate with citizens during an emergency; Calgarians will continue to be able to get updates via our social media channels, through the news media and our website, to name just a few.”
The public will receive test alerts on their wireless phones once a year, including a nation-wide test on May 9th 2018.
No warning system replaces the need for individual, family and community preparedness. All Calgarians are encouraged to have an emergency plan and a 72-hour kit to help you manage until emergency responders can reach you.
The Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) plans and coordinates emergency response during major emergencies and disasters.
-30-