The government will be testing it’s new Emergency Alerts in East Suffolk on 25 May between 1pm and 2pm.
What Emergency Alerts are
Emergency Alerts are messages sent to mobile phones within an area of risk. They don’t need your location or phone number. The service will be used to warn you about life-threatening emergencies such as severe flooding or terror attacks.
Only the government and the emergency services can send them. All compatible mobile phones will be able to receive them. If you don’t have a mobile, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels.
If your pupil has a practical or theory test during this time
If your pupil has a test within the area on Tuesday 25 May between 1pm and 2pm, they will receive this Emergency Alert. It will make a loud siren-like sound and show a message on their phone screen.
So that this does not distract them during their test, we’d encourage your pupil’s to turn their phone on to ‘do not disturb’ before their test begins. We’ll also be emailing candidates to make them aware.
If you are teaching a lesson during this time
You MUST NOT hold a mobile phone while driving or riding a motorcycle. You should not read or otherwise respond to an Emergency Alert whilst driving or riding a motorcycle, or while supervising a learner driver or rider.
The alert will appear on your device for 20 seconds and you will hear a loud siren-like sound for up to 10 seconds. You’ll need to find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message.
To learn more about Emergency Alerts, look out for the
nationwide information campaign and visit gov.uk/alerts
