It will be simply a test.
An emergency alert system will be tested across B.C. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 8, that will trigger notifications on television, radio, and compatible cell phones.
The test is for the Alert Ready emergency alert system.
According to the Alert Ready website, the test in British Columbia is to be conducted at 10:55 a.m. PST. Testing of the system is intended to:
• Increase public awareness about the system and spark emergency preparedness conversations, so that Canadians can be ready and prepared in the event of an actual emergency;
• Validate the effectiveness and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as intended from end to end.
In conjunction with the Alert Ready test, the emergency siren installed in the Predator Ridge area will be audibly tested at the same time. The test will last approximately three minutes.
Members of the public in the Predator Ridge area may hear a wailing sound with a cycle of high and low pitch tones while the test is taking place. The use of the siren Wednesday is only for testing purposes. No action is required by the public.
The emergency siren is an initiative of the Predator Ridge Community Safety group, who made a request to Vernon council to have the device installed at Fire Station 3, to augment emergency communications for the purposes of evacuation due to wildfire.
The Alert Ready system and emergency siren are being tested in the midst of Emergency Preparedness Week, which is a national event supported by Public Safety Canada.
To learn more about Emergency Preparedness Week, or how to prepare yourself and your household to respond to an emergency, visit getprepared.gc.ca.
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