What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the
emergency-alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales, asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Den 16.08.2026 kl. 10.50 skrev Hibou:
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
I don't think that it's unreasonable to send such an alarm. It's
estimated that the cost of wildfires in Europe is about $200'000'000'000.
The problem is that the alarm sound is excruciatingly loud. We have had tests in Denmark.
Le 16/08/2026 |a 12:58, Bertel Lund Hansen a |-crit :
The problem is that the alarm sound is excruciatingly loud. We have
had tests in Denmark.
I think it's the wrong channel. A mass SMS would be more appropriate, or spots on the radio, as the French have. Emergency alerts are a modern version of the air-raid siren, should be reserved for what is both very important and very urgent. [...]
I don't think that it's unreasonable to send such an alarm. It's
estimated that the cost of wildfires in Europe is about $200'000'000'000.
The problem is that the alarm sound is excruciatingly loud. We have
had tests in Denmark.
I think it's the wrong channel. A mass SMS would be more appropriate, or spots on the radio, as the French have. Emergency alerts are a modern version of the air-raid siren, should be reserved for what is both very important and very urgent. Misusing them is like, er, crying "Focke-Wulf!"
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:It was sufficiently loud for SWMBO to pull out her hearing aids which
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything. Something, anytime, anything.
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
We also have an Alarm app in LUX, issued by the government. I am not exaggerating when I say that - so far - we have had more 'Alarm - test' messages than real alarms. Todays alarm informed us:
"Odeur d|-sagr|-able / Possibilit|- d'une mauvaise odeur suite |a des feux de v|-vetations en Allemagne et Belgique"
(In short - possibility of bad fire odours from Germany and Belgium.)
Quelle horreur ! I'm still looking for my WWII gas mask.
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS?
The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled
by its own fart. It's a phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Apparently, people were startled by the loud notification, thought at
first that Putin might have lost it and fired the missiles, i.e. that
there was a real emergency. Drivers swerved, risked crashing and
starting fires; films were interrupted in cinemas; and so on. Many have
now turned the alerts off.
'Government faces backlash after "needless" emergency wildfire alert
sent to millions of phones' - <https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16053599/Confusion-millions- peoples-phones-England-Wales-emergency-wildfire-alert-without-warning.html>
In Wales, the message was sent in Welsh first and in English some
minutes later - even though all Welsh speakers also understand English.
'Emergency alert sent in Welsh then English causes debate' - <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79gg1pyxe2o> :
"The UK government did not comment directly, but said under the Welsh Language Act it has to send alerts in Welsh firstrCa."
Achubwch eich hunain nawr, yn gyflym, cyn i ni rybuddio'r Saeson!
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything. Something, anytime, anything.
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
We also have an Alarm app in LUX, issued by the government. I am not exaggerating when I say that - so far - we have had more 'Alarm - test' messages than real alarms. Todays alarm informed us:
"Odeur d|-sagr|-able / Possibilit|- d'une mauvaise odeur suite |a des feux de v|-vetations en Allemagne et Belgique"
(In short - possibility of bad fire odours from Germany and Belgium.)
Quelle horreur ! I'm still looking for my WWII gas mask.
On 16/08/2026 15:30, occam wrote:
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:It was sufficiently loud for SWMBO to pull out her hearing aids which are connected to her phone. >
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything.
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Something, anytime, anything.
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed'
people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
We also have an Alarm app in LUX, issued by the government. I am not
exaggerating when I say that - so far - we have had more 'Alarm - test'
messages than real alarms. Todays alarm informed us:
"Odeur dosagroable / Possibilito d'une mauvaise odeur suite a des feux
de vovetations en Allemagne et Belgique"
(In short - possibility of bad fire odours from Germany and Belgium.)
Quelle horreur ! I'm still looking for my WWII gas mask.
If I had still got mine it would have been a child's size
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales, asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything. Something, anytime, anything.
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the
emergency-alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England
and Wales, asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have
barbecues etc..
Is this a whinge? Or a valid concern?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyllkz80dlo
"Emergency phone alert put domestic abuse victims at risk,
campaigners say"
We also have an Alarm app in LUX, issued by the government. I am not exaggerating when I say that - so far - we have had more 'Alarm -
test' messages than real alarms. Todays alarm informed us:
"Odeur d|-sagr|-able / Possibilit|- d'une mauvaise odeur suite |a des
feux de v|-vetations en Allemagne et Belgique"
(In short - possibility of bad fire odours from Germany and
Belgium.)
Quelle horreur ! I'm still looking for my WWII gas mask.
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything. Something, anytime, anything.
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
We also have an Alarm app in LUX, issued by the government. [...]
In article <nedvrgFimu4U1@mid.individual.net>, occam@nowhere.nix says...
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
What is an emergency? This week the UK Government used the emergency-Honestly, I think the British people like to whinge about anything.
alert system to send a message to mobile phones in England and Wales,
asking people to avoid starting wildfires - not to have barbecues etc..
Something, anytime, anything.
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS? The loud noise 'alarmed'
people reminds me of a dog that is startled by its own fart. It's a
phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
No it isn't.
Janet.
Le 16/08/2026 |a 13:10, Hibou a |-crit :
Le 16/08/2026 |a 12:58, Bertel Lund Hansen a |-crit :
The problem is that the alarm sound is excruciatingly loud. We have
had tests in Denmark.
I think it's the wrong channel. A mass SMS would be more appropriate, or
spots on the radio, as the French have. Emergency alerts are a modern
version of the air-raid siren, should be reserved for what is both very
important and very urgent. [...]
This is the reason for the loudness. Its purpose is to command instant >attention.
In article <nedvrgFimu4U1@mid.individual.net>,
occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:
On 16/08/2026 10:50, Hibou wrote:
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS?
It's a Wireless Emergency Alert: different protocol, different
purpose. Designed to be delivered urgently, by broadcast, to all
subscribers in a specific geography, regardless of where their SIM is registered.
The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled
by its own fart. It's a phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
It's not a ring.
The actual sound it makes depends on the phone's
configured nationality, but here, it is a pair of dissonant tones
(similar to the old EBS alert on TV and radio) lasting some seconds,
and depending on the alert type, it can override the phone's volume
and do-not-disturb settings. Some alert types can be disabled in the
phone's settings and others cannot, as decided by national
authorities.
<blah, blah, technical blah>.
Hibou wrote:
This is the reason for the loudness. Its purpose is to command instant
attention.
Which is why it should be reserved for a genuine emergency with large
numbers of people in mortal danger, requiring immediate action rather
than immediate inaction.
What are, say, a couple of hundred people attending a church service
expected to do? Rush out of church and not start fires?
On 16/08/2026 21:41, Garrett Wollman wrote:
occam wrote:
This alarm message - what is it if not an SMS?
It's a Wireless Emergency Alert: different protocol, different
purpose. Designed to be delivered urgently, by broadcast, to all
subscribers in a specific geography, regardless of where their SIM is
registered.
"Can't see the wood for the trees". You have missed the point.
It's NOT
the actual protocol that is the object of the complaints. It's the
device -- a personal phone device, making a noise. People keep these on
their person by choice.
The loud noise 'alarmed' people reminds me of a dog that is startled
by its own fart. It's a phone, ringing 'fer God's sakes.
It's not a ring.
(see above).
It's not a ring. The actual sound it makes depends on the phone's
configured nationality, but here, it is a pair of dissonant tones
(similar to the old EBS alert on TV and radio) lasting some seconds,
and depending on the alert type, it can override the phone's volume
and do-not-disturb settings.
We get tjpse bams when there's a combination of high temperatures and
winds. Sometimes a high temperature alone is sufficient to trigger the ban.
Peter Moylan hat am 17.08.2026 um 00:39 geschrieben:
We get tjpse bams when there's a combination of high temperatures and
winds. Sometimes a high temperature alone is sufficient to trigger the ban.
What is a tjpse bam?
An inhabitant of Wales writes:
In this household, my wife's phone received two alerts - both in English.
My phone remained silent - not receiving any alerts whatsoever, despite
the settings for such alerts being ON.
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