Emergency Alert FAQ. 19 November 2012 Page 1 of 7

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1 Emergency Alert FAQ 1. What is Emergency Alert? Emergency Alert is the national telephone warning system used by emergency management agencies. The system sends voice messages to landlines and text messages to mobile phones within a defined area about likely or actual emergencies such as fire, flood, or extreme weather events. 2. When is Emergency Alert used? Once a decision is made to warn a community (location), the responsible emergency service organisation will determine the defined area to be warned and which warning mediums to use for example, radio, website and television and whether a telephone alert needs to be issued. A telephone alert is just one way emergency services organisations can warn a community and will not be used in all circumstances. People should be adequately prepared in the event of an emergency, continue to use a range of information sources and stay aware of local conditions. You should not wait to receive an alert before you act. 3. What is the Standard Emergency Warning Signal? The Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) is a distinctive siren sound broadcast at the beginning of Emergency Alert voice messages. The use of SEWS is intended to attract attention and inform you that important information will follow about an actual or likely emergency. The SEWS tone can be heard on 4. What will the alert message say? The message will provide information on the current emergency, what action to take and where to find further information. 5. How do I know the message is authentic or genuine? The caller ID number or message header on your phone displays the number The message tells you where to go for further information. You can also check with other sources for example, radio, websites or neighbours to confirm the authenticity of the message. Warning messages on your landline will start with the SEWS tone. 6. Where can I get more information about the system More information about the system is available from 7. Will the alerts be sent out in languages other than English? Emergency Alert issues voice and SMS messages in English. It is important that everyone recognises the number that the messages originate from, 19 November 2012 Page 1 of 7

2 the audio Standard Emergency Warning Signal and the words Emergency Emergency used at the start of all voice messages. Family, friends and neighbours are encouraged to discuss the Emergency Alert system with people who do not speak English so they are informed in the event that they receive an alert. 8. What services are available for people that do not speak English? The alert you receive will be written and spoken in English so it is important that everyone recognises the Standard Emergency Warning Signal and the words Emergency, Emergency that will be used on the landline message and the word Emergency in the text message. Print advertising and frequently asked questions will be translated into up to 30 languages. Radio and television has also been translated for the respective States and Territories as required. Family, friends and neighbours are encouraged to discuss this system with people who do not speak English so they are informed and aware in the event that they receive an alert. 9. I ve received an alert, where can I find out more about the emergency? It is important that you read the message carefully and understand what action you may need to take. The content of the message is not listed on this website. 10. What capacity does Emergency Alert have? The system has the capacity to send 500 text messages per second and 1,000 voice messages per minute. 11. Can I call if I missed the original message? If you call this number back, you will receive a generic voice recorded announcement that states your telephone has received an emergency warning message and further information should be sought from local radio or emergency services websites. No specific information about individual emergencies is provided. 12. Who pays for the alert? Each State and Territory is responsible for the usage charges. You are not charged and will not have to pay for the alert. 13. Do I need to sign up? No. You do not need to register for Emergency Alert. 14. Can I 'opt out'? No. 15. Who sends these alerts? 19 November 2012 Page 2 of 7

3 Alerts are issued by authorised emergency management agencies such as fire, emergency services, and police in each State or Territory. 16. What happens if I receive an alert at work? Alerts do not replace existing workplace emergency arrangements. You must follow current emergency management arrangements in place at your workplace. 17. I don't want my child to get alerts on their mobile phone. Can I prevent this? No. There is no way to prevent this if your child has their own mobile phone. It is important to explain to them what to do if they receive an alert. 18. What happens if my child receives an alert on their mobile while at school? If your child receives an alert when they are at school, they must follow the emergency management arrangements currently in place at their school. 19. Who funded the development of Emergency Alert? The Commonwealth funded the initial establishment of Emergency Alert. The location-based technology provided by each of the mobile telephone carriers (telcos) is funded by the Commonwealth Government and the Victorian Government for use by all States and Territories. LANDLINES 20. How does the system work for landlines? Emergency Alert issues a voice recorded message to landlines with a registered service address within a defined area. If the call is unanswered, the landline is retried once. The service address and phone number comes from the Integrated Public Number Database, which contains all public and private phone numbers in Australia. 21. Why didn t I get the landline message? There are a number of reasons why you may not have received the landline message. These include: your phone was engaged you didn t hear/answer the call there was a power outage and your landline phone is a cordless phone the landline was outside the warning area 22. I have an unlisted number will I still get the message? Yes all private and public landlines are included. 19 November 2012 Page 3 of 7

4 23. I have a fax on my phone line - will it keep dialling my fax? On first attempt, it recognises that the number is a dedicated fax machine and will not redial the number. 24. How long does my telephone ring before the system assumes that there is no answer? 45 seconds. 25. What happens if my phone is engaged? The system will retry each landline number once. 26. Can messages be sent to TTY phones? TTY services are not supported. The Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) does not capture information about which telephone numbers are linked to a teletypewriter. 27. What happens when the system calls and gets an answering machine? The answering machine may receive a partial message. 28. Can messages be sent to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phones? VOIP allows you to use your computer's network connection as a telephone service. You may get an emergency alert on your VOIP phone. 29. Why is a phone with a cord the preferred landline option? It is preferable that you have access to a landline phone with a cord in case there is a loss of power during an emergency (storms/fires etc). Cordless phones rely on a power connection. MOBILE TELEPHONES 30. How does the system work for mobile phones? There are two ways the system works for mobile phones. The original system sends a text message to mobile phones with a registered service address within the warning area. From December 2012, the system will have the capability to send a text message to mobile phones on Telstra s networks with a last known location within the area to be warned i.e. visitors and people travelling (the phone is in the area when the message is sent). 19 November 2012 Page 4 of 7

5 There are three mobile telephone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. This improvement will be available for mobile phones on Optus and Vodafone networks from November If you do not know the network that your mobile phone uses, you should contact your service provider. Based on how mobile phone coverage works, it is also possible that you may receive a text message if you are outside but nearby the area of risk. It is important that you read the message carefully and understand what action you may need to take. 31. Why didn t I get the text (SMS) message? There are a range of reasons why you may not have received the text message: your SMS inbox was full you are with a carrier (telco) that does not yet provide location-based emergency text messages the emergency service organisation chose to use other warning mediums your mobile phone was switched off or not in a mobile coverage area your last known location was not within the defined emergency area you are not in a mobile phone coverage area you have not updated your service address mobile coverage blackspot i.e. tunnel, underground carpark, etc. 32. I m not in the area under threat but I still got the text message? Based on how mobile phone coverage works, it is possible that you may also receive a text message if you are outside but nearby the area of risk. It is important that you read the message carefully and understand what action you may need to take. Until all mobile phone carriers (telcos) are able to send messages to mobile phones with a last known location in the warning area, the emergency services in most circumstances will continue to also issue text messages to mobile phones with a registered service address in the area. If you are away from home but your mobile phone is registered to an address in the warning area you may get the text message. 33. Why did I receive two text messages Your mobile telephone has a service address in the warning area and your mobile phone has a last known location in the warning area. 34. What if I travel into a threat area after a text message is already sent? You won t get the message. You will only get a message if a new one is issued. 35. Does Emergency Alert know where I am? Is it tracking me? 19 November 2012 Page 5 of 7

6 No. The system does not hold location data about individual mobile phone numbers and only receives summary information from the mobile phone networks. 36. What happens if I am travelling in or live in a mobile phone blackspot? The system will send alerts to both landlines and mobile phones. If you live in a mobile phone black spot area or where there is potential for loss of power during an emergency, you should ensure you have a landline telephone. This landline telephone should not be reliant on a power connection. It is also important to monitor a range of information sources. 37. How do you know where I am? The mobile network records the last known location of each mobile telephone handset. 38. How do I find out who my carrier (telco) is? Mobile phone subscribers can find out who their carrier is by contacting their service provider. 39. How current is my location? The last known location of your mobile telephone is updated when the handset Makes a call Receives a call Sends an SMS Receives an SMS Has moved across a number of network cells (travelled a long distance) If none of the above occurred the mobile phone s location is updated by the network every 60 minutes. Mobile telephones switched off or without coverage will not have their location updated and will not be included. 40. How accurate is my last known location? The accuracy of the location is cell level or better. 41. Why do mobile phones receive text messages and not a voice message? The messages are delivered significantly quicker via text message and there is less chance of encountering network congestion. 42. What can I do to manage mobile phone blackspots? If you live in an area where you believe there is a mobile phone blackspot, you should seek advice from your telecommunications provider on what options there are to improve your mobile phone coverage. As the system sends warnings to both landlines and mobile phones, it is also 19 November 2012 Page 6 of 7

7 recommended that if you live in an area where there are mobile phone blackspots you should also have a landline telephone that is not reliant on a power connection. 43. Is Emergency Alert able to send messages to prepaid mobile phones? Prepaid mobile telephones are included. As Emergency Alert continues to send messages to mobile telephones based on their registered service address, it is important that your service address is up to date. For more information click on the following fact sheet. [insert fact sheet] PRIVACY 44. How is my personal information and privacy protected? a. when using my registered address The Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) is an industry-wide collection of all listed and unlisted public telephone numbers. This information is governed by strict laws that control how it can be accessed and used. A legislative amendment to the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth) was required to enable access to this information for emergency warning purposes. This amendment imposes ongoing controls against potential misuse of sensitive personal information taken from the IPND. A separate database, the Location Based Number Store (LBNS), uses information from the IPND so that it can maintain a collection of phone numbers and addresses that can be located on a map and be used for delivering alerts to a particular area. The LBNS never receives any names of individuals or businesses in the information it receives from the IPND. States or Territories do not have access to customer name details for any telephone number included. b. when using the location of my mobile phone Messages sent based on the location of the mobile phone use data from Telstra s networks and from November 2013 data from Optus and Vodafone networks. The emergency services operators have no visibility of the phone numbers. The Emergency Alert system sends the warning area to the carrier which responds with the total number of active mobile phones in the area. The emergency services then send the message text to the carrier which sends this as a text messages to the phones identified. The data is retained by the mobile phone carrier (telco). 19 November 2012 Page 7 of 7