Canadians start getting emergency alerts on mobile phones

OTTAWA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Canadians will start to receive emergency alerts on compatible wireless devices such mobile phones on Friday.

Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale Friday applauded the collaborative work of federal, provincial and territorial governments, wireless services providers, as well as other industry partners to expand the National Public Alerting System (NPAS) to include wireless emergency alerts.

NPAS, publicly branded as Alert Ready, is a collaborative initiative between federal-provincial-territorial governments and industry partners in the country. The emergency alerts provide rapid warnings to the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life.

Situations that could prompt an alert include forest fires, terrorist threats or an Amber Alert for a missing child.

Canadians do not need to sign up or pay to receive emergency alerts on their smartphones. Alerts will be delivered automatically to compatible wireless devices.

Wireless public alerting is geo-targeted and can be very specific to a limited area of coverage, unlike radio and television broadcasting, which often have broad areas of coverage.

Wireless emergency alerts begin with a distinct sound and vibration cadence. The sound and vibration convey a sense of urgency to reinforce alert messages. Enditem