The first test of Australia's new national warning system, AusAlert, will target a government building in Canberra's south on Wednesday, June 10.
The National Emergency Management Agency's (NEMA) test will take place at the Molonglo Emergency Services Station, on Cotter Road, between John Gorton Drive and Steve Irwin Avenue, at 10.30am.
The test alert is expected to make mobile phones vibrate, emit a loud siren-like sound lasting about 10 seconds, and say "TEST," and that no action was required.
Leighton Bush, director of collaboration at the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACT ESA), said AusAlert used broadcast technology rather than standard SMS, and it was possible residents nearby and people travelling through the area could receive the test alert.
"It's a targeted test for that area ... it's not expected that it'll be a very far bleed into the rest of Canberra, but there's the potential for that to happen," Mr Bush said.
People in Duffy, Wright, Coombs, and Holder at this time could also receive the test alert.
He said the first test on June 10 will be "priority alert", a second-tier alert, meaning it would not override a phone set to silent mode
However, a "critical alert" which could be broadcast during an emergency after AusAlert begins operating on October 1 this year, is a higher-level alert that overrides silent settings.
He said those who do not want to receive the message, or be disturbed at the time, could switch off their phone or opt out using their phone settings.
"[In case of a critical emergency] you will receive [a critical alert] no matter what, unless you turn your phone off or put it on to airplane mode," Mr Bush said.
Commissioner of the ACT ESA, Wayne Phillips, said Canberrans in the area should not see it as a problem if they do not receive the test alert.
"We're not testing their phones, we're testing a system for us to that area," Commissioner Phillips said.
"If you live across the road from Molonglo fire station, ambulance station, and you don't get [the warning test], it's not a big deal."
While ACT ESA warns Canberrans using variety of systems (ESA website, news media, emergency alerts) during local emergency events, the commissioner said AusAlert was more superior and faster alert system for the whole of Australia, and was already being used in 35 countries including New Zealand and the UK.
"Back in the day, when we used to download pictures off the internet, it used to be very slow, that's how the alert system currently works. Now it's basically press [a button], bang, all those phones and go off at the same time," Commissioner Phillips said.
He said AusAlert would also allow different types of alerts, such as evacuation or advice warnings, to be sent to areas that needed specific warnings.
"We will be the first jurisdiction to micro-test it," the commissioner said.
He said Queanbeyan and its surrounding areas would receive a similar test alert on June 21, when NEMA tests its cross-border warning capability.
After AusAlert is separately tested in all Australian jurisdictions, a nationwide test alert will be sent on Monday, July 27.
The alert aims to reach different devices, including mobile phones and some tablets, during local and national emergencies, such as bushfires, floods, cyclones, tsunamis, security threats, public health emergencies, and biosecurity incidents.
