By Charles Lefebvre

Alert Ready conducts second test of emergency message system

Nov 28, 2018 | 2:58 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The second test of the Alert Ready system was conducted Wednesday afternoon.

A test message was sent over LTE networks to phones and tablets at 1:55 p.m. A message was also broadcast on television networks and the radio.

The Alert Ready system is used to inform people about emergency situations in their area, and steps they need to take to remain safe.

Staff at CHAT News set up their phones for the test. Of the seven phones present, all but one received the alert.

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According to a Facebook poll on CHAT News, an overwhelming majority of respondents said they received the test message, with some responding saying they also received the Saskatchewan test message in addition to the Alberta message.

Greg Burch, a spokesperson with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association says there are several reasons why residents might not have received the test message.

“You had to be on a 4G LTE network at the time the alert was distributed over the system,” he said over the phone from Winnipeg on Wednesday. “The second thing is you need to make sure the operating system on your phone or your device is up to date. There are some instances where a subscriber may have an older operating system, or it’s not upgraded, so it’s important to make sure you have the latest operating system downloaded.”

Burch says notification settings on your devices could also be a reason why people do not receive the messages.

Information to ensure your device is compatible can be found on Alert Ready’s website.