Learning Disability Wales has produced an easy read guide to the Emergency Alert System that is being tested on Sunday 23 April at 3pm.
The Emergency Alert System has been introduced by UK government to send urgent messages warning the public of life-threatening situations like flooding or wildfires. Similar systems are in use in the United States, Canada, Japan and other countries around the world.
You can download the easy read guide to the test of the Emergency Alert System below. It has been made by Easy Read Wales – Learning Disability Wales’ accessible information team.
New UK Government Emergency Alert – easy read guide
What you need to know about the test of the new Emergency Alert System
The test of the system will be sent to every 4G and 5G smartphone in the UK at 3pm on Sunday 23 April. The test alert will be 10 seconds of sound and vibration.
For the test, you do not need to take any action – the sound and vibration will stop automatically after 10 seconds. All you need to do is swipe away the message or click ‘OK’ on their phone’s home screen – just like for a ‘low battery’ warning or notification – and continue to use your phone as normal.
People who have their phones switched off will not receive the message – but it will sound if your phone is switched to silent.
The UK government minister in charge of the system, Oliver Dowden, said the alert system would be used only in situations where there was an immediate risk to life. In most cases it will be targeted at very specific areas, rather than the entire UK and, according to officials, may not be used for months or years.
Watch the video below to see and hear how the emergency alert works.
Download our easy read guide to the test of the Emergency Alert System below.
New UK Government Emergency Alert – easy read guide
For more information on the Emergency Alert System visit https://www.gov.uk/alerts.
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