Alberta residents can now expect to receive alerts for serious emergencies, such as flash flooding, wildfires or tornadoes, on their smart phones.

Tim Trytten, team lead for Alberta Emergency Alert, says this new line of communication will complement already-existing alert resources.

The alerts will automatically show up as a tone and a vibration, along with a short message, on compatible devices, he says. The provincial wireless alerting system will be complementary to the national Alert Ready system.

"We're going to be able to send alerts directly to Canadians, and people in an area under threat, to their cell phones," Trytten explains. "They need to have a certain type of phone that is 4G on the LTE network, they must be wireless-compatible and they have to be connected to the network. If they are in an area under an imminent threat, then they'll receive the alert directly on their phones."

After an emergency alert is received on a cell phone, Trytten says people are encouraged to check Alberta Emergency Alert's website, follow them on social media pages or download the Alberta Emergency Alert app for more detailed information. Alerts will also continue to be provided on radio and television.

He says sending emergency alerts to cell phones is a natural fit.

"The way people get their primary source of information has evolved fairly dramatically over the last, I would say 20 years, as we move through different generations," Trytten says. "Now people live and breathe on their cell phones and their smart phones and that's their preferred communication device. We want to be in that space, we want to be able to reach them using what they prefer to use."

Trytten points out that the Alberta Emergency Alert system has been in place for 25 years, adding that Alberta is recognized as a world leader in public alerting.

The Alert Ready system was launched nationally on April 6 and the first test of the Alberta wireless public alerting system is set for May 9 at 1:55 p.m.

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