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UK Government’s ‘Revolutionary’ Emergency Alert System, Explained

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As global crises continue to converge, the British Government is changing its emergency mass notification system to something new.

On 23rd April, tens of millions of mobile phone users across the UK will check their screens at the same time, hearing the same sound and reading the same message.

That’s when the government's new Emergency Alert System is being tested nationwide. The system is officially live now, accompanied by encouragement from the Department for Digital, Media, Culture & Sport (DDMCS) for businesses and organisations to examine their own crisis management capabilities.

Will the new mass notification system impact you or your organisation? Have you got the right systems in place? Read on for answers to the most common questions about this alert change and its place in the broader crisis management context.

Upgrading Gov’t Emergency Alert Capabilities

“We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alerts system to deal with a wide range of threats - from flooding to wildfires,” says MP Oliver Dowden in a news release. “It will revolutionise our ability to warn and inform people who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe.”

The new system will broadcast alerts directly from 4G/5G towers to every compatible device in a defined area. This will involve a vibration and loud, siren-like sound issuing from your phone for up to 10 seconds, plus a notification message containing instructions and links to further information when applicable.

The old SMS emergency message system had alerts that often took days to reach members of the general public and missed out on alerting device owners from outside the UK. This upgrade will see nearly 90% of the British population alerted to urgent government messages within 4-10 seconds of sending.

Localising the tower transmissions of these alerts also makes the process more secure, a priority of MP Dowden and the Cabinet Office. It keeps citizens’ personal data out of the emergency alert process entirely.

Data breaches are among the nation’s most pressing security concerns as cyberattacks continue to grow in quantity, scale, and sophistication. DDMCS’ 2022 Cyber Security Breaches Survey recently reported around four in five (82%) of boards or senior management within UK businesses rate cyber security as a ‘very high’ or ‘fairly high’ priority, an increase on 77% from their previous survey.

To help businesses stay prepared and defended against cyber attacks, DDMCS is spreading the word about Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus certification: 

“Only 6% of businesses have the Cyber Essential certification and 1% have Cyber Essentials plus, which is largely due to relatively low awareness.”

RELATED: Understanding Cyber Essentials

A Focus on Crisis Response

The government’s focus on building, maintaining and testing an effective emergency response system has many businesses examining their own. When was the last time you tested your incident response plans? If you’ve not even got plans, you’re not alone.

The DDMCS has observed a reactive, not proactive crisis response trend among UK businesses that leaves many vulnerable.

“Incident management policy is limited, with only 19% of businesses having a formal incident response plan, while 39% have assigned roles should an incident occur,” their survey reads. “Businesses show a clear reactive approach when breaches occur, with 84% of businesses saying they would inform the board, while 73% would make an assessment of the attack.”

Such inadequate actions do nothing to mitigate impact, safeguard reputation, or ensure that damages are swiftly contained. 

“Being able to communicate warnings in a timely and accurate manner during incidents is really important to help people take action to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbours,” reads the Cabinet Office’s news release. It calls their new system a “fantastic addition to our toolbox that we can use in emergency situations.”

For building your organisation’s emergency toolbox, Toro’s own Crisis Response Management teams are a great resource. They cover all bases with a blended approach to physical, cyber, and personnel safety solutions, developing custom IR plans with comprehensive means of mitigating risks, containing crises and investigating incidents.

Emergency Scenario Testing and Exercising

On 23rd April, the alert message itself is set to read:

"This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action."

At a base level, this is an example of emergency scenario testing and exercising. The alert system will work best in the future if the nation is prepared to respond to it appropriately now. Scenario tests like these allow us all to experience the government’s new crisis protocol firsthand instead of waiting for a “real emergency” to try it out, likely catching us by surprise and causing added stress, concern, and disruption.

With the aim of minimising operational disruptions, scenario testing/exercising has become essential across many industries today. Toro helps organisations to create and test their crisis, contingency and business continuity plans, ensuring they’re ready to face any number of challenges ahead. It also offers a 24/7 crisis help desk for an immediate response to any adverse events.

To learn more about getting prepared and staying protected, start here.

Toro Solutions is a London-based security risk management company with a global reach.

You can reach us here or at the contact details below.