Alberta to test emergency alert system on Wednesday afternoon

Albertans will hear emergency alerts on their phones, radios and TVs on Wednesday afternoon as part of a provincial test.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis says the Alberta Emergency Alert system will sound the alarm at 1:55 p.m. on March 1.

"While test alerts are issued nationwide twice a year in May and November, this year’s emergency alert in Alberta is being done now to coincide with the official start of wildfire season on March 1," Ellis said in a Monday statement.

"Tests help us fix any system issues to ensure alerts work when we need them. Tests also provide a valuable opportunity for Albertans to consider their own readiness to respond to an unexpected event like a wildfire."

The alerts are issued on a number of platforms including websites, social media, the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app and directly to Albertans via compatible cellphones.

Ellis says the cellphone alert only works if your phone or mobile app is compatible, on a LTE 4G network, turned on and connected to Wi-Fi.

"If your cellphone is set to silent, it will display an emergency alert but will not play the alert tone."

Alberta Emergency Alerts are used to issue messages about life-threatening emergencies such as tornadoes, wildfires, floods or Amber Alerts.