In addition to the siren that sounds every month in all municipalities in the country, the Dutch government introduced an additional alarm tool at the end of 2012: NL-Alert. The warning, which is distributed via mobile phone, provides immediate information in the event of an emergency. The Dutch government, the owner and initiator of the facility, distributes the text message. At regular intervals, the government sends information messages through the media and a control message to let mobile users check whether their device is set up correctly and to encourage as many people as possible to set NL-Alert on their mobile.
- NL-Alert government alarm tool
- Text message in case of emergency
- When will a message be sent?
- Control message
- Setting help
- Notification center
- What does the message say?
- First time
NL-Alert government alarm tool
NL-Alert is an alarm tool that can be used on your mobile phone. The Dutch government developed the mobile alarm system and introduced it on November 8, 2012. The government can use the service to alert and inform people in the vicinity of an emergency situation by text message. Immediate information in the event of an emergency is the motto of NL-Alert.
Text message in case of emergency
In the event of an emergency or impending emergency, the government can send a text message to the mobile phones of people in the vicinity of the emergency. NL-Alert does not work with text messages so as not to be affected by a blockage due to an overloaded network in the event of an emergency. NL-Alert works with cell broadcast . The service is free and anonymous and privacy is guaranteed, the government reports. The name and telephone number of the phone owner remain unknown. The warning messages are only broadcast in the area to which the warning applies.
When will a message be sent?
The government uses NL-Alert in life- or health-threatening situations, such as:
- a large fire that releases toxic smoke;
- explosion danger;
- flood.
Control message
When the alarm system was launched in 2013, the government sent out three control messages. This allows you to check whether your phone is correctly set up for NL-Alert. The first control message was broadcast on Monday, February 4, 2013 around 12:00 noon. The aim is to have as many people as possible set up NL-Alert on their phones.
The following two audit messages followed after announcements in the media:
- May 6, 29013;
- November 4, 2013;
- December 1, 2014;
- December 5, 2016.
Setting help
You can set NL-Alert yourself on your mobile phone. Not all types are suitable for receiving the message. The NL-Alert website shows which telephones can and cannot receive an NL-Alert message, with a setting aid that provides step-by-step guidance on the correct setting.
Notification center
On many devices, NL-Alert is a standard function that is already enabled. On iPhones, a slider must be set to ‘on’ in the settings. Messages can be read back via the message center on the mobile phone. For an iPhone, swipe from top to bottom on the main screen: the message center opens and you can read the NL-Alert.
Providers
The providers support the function. NL-Alert is broadcast via all mobile networks on 2G, 3G and 4G. When it was introduced, NL-Alert could not yet be received through all providers, but this was arranged as of December 1, 2015. All providers are legally obliged to have their networks suitable for sending NL-Alert over 4G.
Source: NL-Alert
What does the message say?
The NL-Alert message states specifically what is going on. In addition, it provides information about what you can best do at that moment, for example:
- warn any people in your area;
- keep doors and windows closed as much as possible;
- turn off equipment if possible;
- use small fire extinguishers if possible;
- leave the building or neighborhood;
- go to the meeting point;
- report to emergency services.
First time
NL-Alert has already been used several times for the broadcast of the first control message.
Both times it involved a large fire with a lot of smoke development:
- in Tolbert (Groningen);
- in Meppel (Drenthe).
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