VICTORIA, B.C- The province sent out its second test of the emergency alert system today (Wednesday) at 1:55PM.
In May of this year, BC rolled out its first trial run of the new communication technique if and when an emergency takes place.
The text system received mixed reviews, with common complaints among those who didn’t get the text claim their phone is either out-of-date, or not compatible unless they’re connected to wireless internet.
The alert was meant to run across cellphones, radio stations, and television broadcasts.
According to the SRD’s Protective Service Coordinator Shaun Koopman, Alert Ready is a Canada-wide program that allows government officials to issue alerts in each province and territory.
The Strathcona Regional District has Connect Rocket, which is the local mass notification system. Devices within the SRD that are connected to the Internet will receive “push alerts”, landlines will receive voice messages, and mobile devices with cellphone coverage will receive voice and text messages. Devices must be within the emergency alert area when a notification is issued.
For Alert Ready, devices must be a smartphone on the LTE (or 4G) network for high-speed wireless communication, must have up-to-date software, and must be within the emergency alert area.
Residents with questions regarding connecting devices to Connect Rocket or Alert Ready can contact Shaun Koopman at [email protected] or 250-830-6702.
