This Wednesday, April 29, a new phase of the ES-Alert public warning system, transmitted via mobile phones, was tested. The main drill, focused on a forest fire, took place in Moya, in collaboration with the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and the local council. The objective is to deepen understanding of this tool from the National Civil Protection System and enhance response capacity in risk situations.
“"It allows us to continue advancing in the implementation of key tools for citizen protection, such as the ES-Alert system, ensuring that information reaches the population quickly, directly, and effectively in risk situations."
The municipality of Moya has been the epicenter of this three-day emergency training. Activities began on Monday with an informative session for citizens on fire behavior and self-protection measures. On Tuesday, intervention means and resources were presented to residents and educational centers, followed by a technical exercise for decision-making.
The main drill on Wednesday, April 29, simulated a forest fire caused by an accident on road GC-75. This scenario activated a complex emergency response system that included evacuations, road closures, and the defense of homes near the fire, testing the coordination of all involved services.
During the exercise, between 9:30 and 11:30 AM on Wednesday, 112 Canarias issued several test messages via ES-Alert. The alert was primarily received in the municipalities of Moya, Firgas, Santa María de Guía, Valleseco, Gáldar, and Arucas. Due to the location of repeaters, it might also have reached, albeit more faintly, Agaete, San Mateo, Santa Brígida, Tejeda, Artenara, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The public was asked to remain calm and, if receiving the alert while driving, to stop the vehicle in a safe place to read it and press “accept.” The message, identified with the word “PRUEBA” (TEST), disappeared from the screen once accepted. It was advised to explain the process to elderly individuals beforehand to prevent any alarm.
“"Coordination between administrations and the integration of the different emergency services through 112 Canarias are fundamental to providing an agile and specialized response to any incident. These drills not only test technical systems but also help the population familiarize themselves with alerts and know how to act when a real emergency occurs."
The ES-Alert system is already operational in the Canary Islands and has proven its effectiveness in real emergencies such as the forest fires in La Palma and Tenerife. This tool does not require any application installation and works on most 4G and 5G phones with updated operating systems, complementing traditional warning channels like media or social networks.
