The national telephone based emergency warning system, Emergency Alert, now has even greater capacity to reach people in the event of an emergency.  

Emergency Alert has been operating in Tasmania since 2009 as a system to deliver timely emergency messages via telephone directly to the community.

Initially Emergency Alert messages could only be sent to recipients based on their telephone billing address.

“The upgrade enables emergency services to send alerts to mobile phones based on their location, ensuring warnings get to the right people at the right time,” said the Acting Commissioner of Police, Scott Tilyard.

“The new technology increases the likelihood that any warning will be received by people on holiday and others travelling through an affected area, as well as local residents,” Mr Tilyard said.

“Emergency Alert is a valuable tool in assisting communities with preparing for an emergency incident. The Tasmania Fire Service used the system just last week to send warnings to people in Musselroe Bay regarding fires,” said TFS Chief Officer Mike Brown.

Emergency Alert warnings can be sent to landlines and mobiles in a selected geographical area.

Victoria is managing implementation of the new capability on behalf of all states and territories.

The location based capability is now available to mobile phones on the Telstra network at this stage.  Upgrades to other networks will be complete by November 2013.

“Timely warnings can save lives but they are just one part of the necessary approach to emergencies. People should ‘get ready’, have an emergency plan, listen to ABC or other local radio, and check emergency management websites for information,” said Mr Tilyard.

While this is a very useful tool, don’t wait for an Emergency Alert warning before implementing your emergency plan.

Further information is available on the Emergency Alert website.