A Canada-wide test of the National Public Alerting System will occur at 1:55 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, to improve public safety in the event of an emergency.

The test alert will go to all compatible cellphones and interrupt radio and television broadcasts. The test message to cellphones will read: “This is a TEST of the BC Emergency Alert system. This is ONLY a TEST. In an emergency, this message would tell you what to do to stay safe. This information could save your life. Click for more info: www.emergencyinfobc.ca/test. This is ONLY a TEST. No action is required.”

This test will assess the system’s readiness for an actual emergency and identify any required adjustments.

Recognizing the importance of this tool, the Province expanded the use of BC Emergency Alerts beyond tsunami warnings in 2022 to also include imminent threats from floods, wildfires and extreme heat emergencies. Police issue Amber Alerts and alerts for civil emergencies.

During the 2023 wildfire season, tens of thousands of people were asked to evacuate on short notice. In 2023, the Province issued 24 emergency alerts about evacuation orders, providing people with timely, life-saving information when they needed it.

The National Public Alerting System 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 and threats to life and safety.

Quick Facts:

• To receive alerts, cellphones must be connected to an LTE cellular or 5G network. The device must be turned on, cannot be set to do-not-disturb or airplane mode, be alert-compatible, be within the alert area and have up-to-date cellular software.
• Alerts will be broadcast automatically at no cost to the user.
• Following a 2014 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision, all radio and television broadcasters in Canada are mandated to broadcast public alerts.
• On April 6, 2017, CRTC mandated wireless service providers to be capable of sending wireless public alerts in Canada by April 6, 2018.
• British Columbians can participate in a short online survey following the test to help determine the reach of the Alert Ready test. The survey is administered by Public Emergency Alerting Services Inc.
  • To take the survey in English, visit: https://peasi.com/emergency-alert-test-survey.html
  • To take the survey in French, visit: https://peasi.com/enquete-de-test-dalerte-durgence.html
• The BC Emergency Alert system was launched on April 6, 2018, and is tested twice a year in spring and fall.

Learn More:

To learn about BC Emergency Alerts, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts   

To learn when you might receive emergency alerts, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts/how-alerts-work

To know what to do if you receive an emergency alert, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/emergency-alerts/receive-emergency-alert

For information during active provincial emergencies, visit: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/   

To follow EmergencyInfoBC on X (formerly Twitter), visit: https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC

PreparedBC is a one-stop shop for disaster-readiness information. For tips about how to prepare an emergency plan and what to include in an emergency kit, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc

To follow PreparedBC on Facebook, visit: https://www.facebook.com/PreparedBC/

To follow PreparedBC on X (formerly Twitter), visit: https://twitter.com/PreparedBC

To follow PreparedBC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepared_bc/