Test emergency notification to be broadcast on phones, radio and TV Wednesday

Prepare for a startling, blaring sound from your phone tomorrow afternoon — Canada’s national emergency notification system will be tested on Wednesday afternoon.

At 1:55 p.m., an alert will go out over television, radio, wireless devices, social media, the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app and via compatible cellphones.

“Tests are critical as they help us fix any system issues and make sure that alerts work when we need them,” said a statement from Alberta’s public safety minister Mike Ellis. “This helps save lives and protect Albertans during an actual emergency.”

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The alert will only work if the receiving phone is compatible, on the LTE 4G network, turned on and connected to Wi-Fi. If the cellphone is set to silent, it will display the alert but won’t play the emergency tone.