The province is reminding the public that it will be doing its usual fall test of the emergency alert system on Nov. 15, 2023.
The alert will sound at 1:55 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday as part of a Canada-wide test of the National Public Alerting System. It will go to all compatible cellphones, as well as interrupt radio and television broadcasts.
The message 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.”
The tests, which happen each spring and fall, are meant to assess the system’s readiness for an actual emergency and identify any required adjustments.
The province expanded the use of the emergency alert system beyond tsunami warnings in 2022 to include imminent threats from floods, wildfires and extreme heat emergencies. Police use the system for Amber Alerts and civil emergencies.
During the 2023 wildfire season, with thousands of people being asked to evacuate on short notice. So far this year, the province has issued 24 emergency alerts for evacuation orders.
Alerts are broadcast at no cost to the user.
READ MORE: Why some people don’t get emergency alert notifications