Amid uncertain political climate, Russia is testing an emergency public warning system. A Reuters report says that the country will be conducting a test drive very soon. The warning system is a precautionary measure for the common public to create awareness of necessary steps during uncertain times.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations has issued a statement describing the nationwide test. It says, “”When you hear the sound of a siren, you need to remain calm and not panic. Turn on the TV—any publicly accessible channel or radio—and listen to the information message.” The Ministry adds, “The warning system is designed to timely convey a signal to the population in the event of a threat or emergency of a natural or man-made nature.”
The first test took place in 2020, and as per new updates, the authorities are required to conduct the test twice a year, starting on Sept. 1. According to the emergency ministry, Russia’s tests are intended to evaluate the warning systems, assess the readiness of the personnel responsible for launching them, and increase public awareness.
Before Russia, an emergency public warning system was also tested in the USA and India. In the USA, the test was conducted to ensure the effectiveness of alerts sent to the public as per the press release of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
In case of India, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) tested the Pan-India Emergency Alert System by sending emergency text messages to Indian mobile numbers both in English and Hindi. In order to evaluate the usefulness and efficiency of the emergency warning broadcast technology as well as the capabilities of mobile operators and cell broadcast systems, this broadcast technology will be tested periodically and from region to region.
The Department of Telecommunication has used the latest technology called C-DOT, which was earlier only available to foreign vendors. The department had tested the public alert system on the Jio and BSNL networks before testing it nationwide.