To date, the results of the BG-ALERT system tests show that 98% of the mobile operators' cells have correctly sent the message, and only 2% have no feedback. Employees from 85 municipalities and 6 regional administrations have undergone training to work with BG-ALERT. Their total number is 129, with another 20 to be trained. What else do we need to know about the system… Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, Director of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“, speaks to FAKTI.
- Commissioner Dzhartov, how did the test of the BG-ALERT system go on April 1. Did all mobile phones receive the message…
- What you need to know is that the test was successful, but not all phones most likely received the message for several reasons. First of all, in order for a mobile device to receive the message from the BG-ALERT system, it is necessary that it supports Cell Broadcast technology. It is also necessary that the respective device is not in airplane mode, that is, it is connected to the operator's network. And when we talk about the test itself, which took place on April 1, the test channel of the mobile device, which is subject to manual control, had to be turned on. In principle, this test channel is set to off by the manufacturer of the mobile device. So, if a person has not previously set the settings to “allowed“ and this test channel is turned on, he will not receive a message during the tests.
- Are all mobile operators already fully prepared and working in sync when such a message needs to be sent…
- From the moment the system itself was introduced into operation, and even before that, the mobile operators have been involved in the process and we practically had full cooperation from them so that they could ensure the broadcasting of messages through their networks.
- At what stage of the final testing of the system are we, so that we can say that everything is working now?
- There is no final testing - the BG-ALERT system is working. What we did on April 1 and will do in October are regular tests. The BG-ALERT system is in operation and can be used when necessary. I will give you an example right away. At the beginning of this year, there was snowfall in the territory of Burgas, as we recall, and then, at the request of the mayor of Burgas, the system was activated. There are trained employees in the municipality, and one of these employees accessed the system and electronically generated a message, which we reviewed. After we established feedback, as is the procedure, to know that the persons who are trained and authorized have sent this message, it was distributed and there was no problem. When we have such cases - whether it will be a test or will be used in a real environment, we usually seek contact with our employees or with representatives of the local government to make sure that these messages that will be received on the devices were generated consciously. The message in Burgas was received successfully and was useful to the people.
- Let's recall again who has the right in cases of emergency to generate and send such messages through you?
- Mayors of municipalities, regional governors and ministers have the right to use the system. This is how it is written in the Disaster Protection Act.
- Messages in BG-ALERT are standardized in several types. Let's explain them?
- The system allows its use for different purposes and through different channels. The first type of messages has the highest priority and is about “Caution, danger!“ In this case, users do not see this channel in their phone settings, they cannot turn it on or off. This is the highest priority level.
- And then the message is received by everyone?
- Yes. In general, mobile users do not see this channel through which they receive it. Again, I mean that this is the case when we are talking about the highest level of urgency and security. This channel is used only when we have events with the highest priority. The next channel that is used for messages is related, for example, to a natural hazard. This channel was used in the case that I mentioned in Burgas, because in this situation there is no immediate danger to people, but it is not desirable for them to enter a certain territory because they may get into trouble, i.e., not to enter in this particular case a section of the road that has not been cleared. There is actually no danger for them, but it is better to avoid entering there until the road is cleared. Then we have a channel in which each of the mayors or regional governors can inform citizens about certain events. Depending on this, if it is considered that there is a need for a larger circle of people to know about some event, to reach them with some useful information.
- And this information may not be related to an emergency. Is that how we understand it?
- It does not have to be related to an emergency at all. For example, there is some event that is related to a certain settlement - there is a concert or other cultural event in the center, but movement in the center is difficult. And in this case, a message can be broadcast - only for a certain settlement, so that citizens are encouraged not to enter the center with their cars, so that there are no traffic jams and so on. Movement there does not pose any danger to people, but in this way they will know that if they enter the center, they may lose a lot of time in their movement. This is just one of the examples for which the system can be used. We also have a channel for a missing person. When there is evidence that a person has not been contacted for a certain period of time - this channel is more of a priority for police colleagues - such a message can be broadcast in a certain area, so that citizens who receive the message and notice this person can report it. The system allows a link from a certain website to be embedded in the message, so that citizens, after reading the message, can click on the link and see more details - a photo of the person, their characteristics such as height, clothing, etc. The last channel supported by the system is the test channel. It is only for system tests. As I mentioned, it must be enabled in advance in order to receive the test message.
- Older mobile phones did not receive messages before. Now how is this…
- In order for a device to receive a message, it must support Cell Broadcast technology. Most older phones do not support this technology and there is no way for them to receive such a message. For this reason, other channels are also used to warn the population - such as a siren system, such as media and social networks, including face-to-face contact. This is especially applicable to small settlements where people know each other and information is passed on from one to another. When there is a message, it can be assumed that everyone will soon be warned about some event. The system works. It can be relied on. All the tests we have done show that the system functions as expected. All of us - as citizens, just have to be active and set up our mobile device when the tests are carried out. In some countries, such as the United States, such systems are tested every week. And it is precisely for this reason that a separate channel is provided for the tests. If a disaster occurs, the message will certainly not be broadcast on the test channel, but only on the channel that is intended for this purpose.