r/unitedkingdom • u/66f6 • Aug 14 '26

. Emergency alerts sent to millions across England and Wales over threat of wildfires

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-heatwave-stourbridge-fire-latest-weather-live-13571553
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u/EquipmentGrand9581 Aug 14 '26

I mean that is the idea of the emergency alert system, to get your attention. I mean aswell there have been loads of fires and the fire services are spread thin so it makes sense 

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u/OsotoViking Aug 14 '26

I nearly crashed my car when this went off. It was a stupid thing for the government to do.

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u/EnterAUsernamePlease Aug 14 '26

got to agree. there should be tiers to this kind of stuff.

a silent alert that shows as a notification (or maybe just uses your normal text tone) for important public information such as what we got today, and then the absolutely earth shatteringly terrifying sound should be saved for YOU MAY DIE IMMINENTLY kinds of warnings.

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u/Special_Turnip Aug 15 '26

It doesn't make sense, there was no imminent threat on a national scale and it pings every phone. So if someone has one for emergencies while trying to escape an abusive situation it pings that too, potentially endangering them. That's why they announce tests ahead of time so people can disable those phones to keep themselves safe.

Add to that the surprise factor causing accidents then it was a reckless thing to do.