This Wednesday, April 29, between 09:30 and 11:30 AM, residents of Moya and nearby areas will experience an intense sound and vibration on their devices, accompanied by the word “TEST” on screen. This exercise aims to ensure the system's operational readiness for future forest fires, floods, or severe weather events.
Although the main focus of the drill is Moya, alerts could also extend to adjacent municipalities such as Firgas, Santa María de Guía, Valleseco, Gáldar, and Arucas. To a lesser extent, it could even reach areas like Agaete, San Mateo, Santa Brígida, Tejeda, Artenara, or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
“"Authorities remind that there is no need to call 112, nor to reply to the message. It is solely a scheduled test to verify that everything is working correctly."
The alert message will automatically appear on the phone screen, and to dismiss it, it will only be necessary to press “Accept”. Those who receive it while driving are advised to stop the vehicle in a safe place before reading it. It is also recommended to inform elderly people or those less familiar with technology beforehand to avoid unnecessary alarm.
The ES-Alert system, integrated into the National Civil Protection System, allows immediate instructions to be sent to the population without the need for apps or registration, working simply with a compatible mobile phone and activated alerts. Its speed is crucial in real emergencies, where every second gained can be vital for indicating evacuations, confinements, or self-protection recommendations.
In preparation for this drill, the day before, nearly 400 students participated in a workshop organized by Cecoes 112 in Moya. There, they learned about the actions of the Canarian Emergency Service in the face of a forest fire, including the deployment of a field hospital and a disaster unit, as well as receiving advice on preparing an emergency kit at home.
