AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

What is it?

Emergency Alert is the national telephone warning system.

It is one of many ways emergency services such as police, fire and emergency services, can warn a community of a likely or actual emergency.

Emergency Alert is not used in all circumstances. Whether emergency services decide to issue telephone warnings through Emergency Alert will depend on the nature of the incident.

The warning system sends voice messages to landline telephones and text messages to mobile telephones within a specific area defined by the emergency service organisation issuing the warning message, about likely or actual emergencies such as fire, flood, or extreme weather events.

Do Need To Register For Emergency Alert?

All landline and mobile telephone numbers (including silent numbers) are automatically registered to receive a warning based on their billing address. DFES works with the telephone carriers in order to send the warnings.

Please contact your telephone provider to ensure that phones are registered to the correct billing address in order to receive messages about incidents which may affect that address.

Emergency Alert can also send texts to mobile phones based on their last known location. Every time a mobile phone is active within the mobile network its location is established. If that last known location is within the warning area determined by a DFES Incident Controller the phone will also be sent a message. This technology is designed to capture visitors and travellers in the area under threat.

If your phone is billed to your home address, and your home is within a DFES telephone warning area, you will receive alerts about incidents affecting that address, regardless of your location.

If your phone is located within the DFES telephone warning area, it should receive an alert regardless of your billing address.

It is important to remember that Emergency Alerts sent to your mobile and landline telephone are just one way that you can receive information.

When Is The Emergency Alert Used?

Whether emergency services decide to issue telephone warnings through Emergency Alert will depend on the nature of the incident.

Emergency Alert is not used in all circumstances. In an emergency you should use a range of information sources and check them continuously to stay aware of local conditions. These information sources may include radio ABC Emergency , television and the Emergency WA website.

You should not wait to receive a warning message before you act.

Am I Guaranteed To Receive An Emergency Alert?

Emergency Alert relies on telecommunications networks to send messages and delivery cannot always be guaranteed. There are a range of reasons why you may not receive a message including network coverage issues, your phone being turned off or on silent, or your inbox being full.