The exercise, managed by the Ministry of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, will take place in the municipality of Guía de Isora. The Emergency and Safety Coordination Centre (CECOES) 112 will issue three Es-Alert messages between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM. These messages will be sent to compatible mobile phones and will be received if the device is on and within coverage.
The first alert will target the island of Tenerife, potentially reaching sectors of Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, as well as inter-island maritime channels. It will communicate the shift to a 'orange' volcanic alert level according to the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response for Volcanic Risk in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (PEVOLCA). However, this alert does not imply the start of an eruption or evacuation or confinement measures for the population of Tenerife.
The second Es-Alert message will affect the municipalities of Guía de Isora and Santiago del Teide, simulating the preventive evacuation of the areas of Chirche and Aripe. It may also reach the municipalities of Adeje, Los Silos, Buenavista del Norte, and El Tanque, as well as certain sectors of La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, and corresponding maritime channels. The third message will inform about the end of the simulation.
Drivers are advised not to panic if they receive the alert while driving; they should stop their vehicle in a safe place to read the emergency message and press "accept". Once accepted, the message will disappear from the mobile phone screen. It is also recommended to explain the alert system to elderly family members beforehand to prevent alarm. The alert message may also be received in English if the mobile phone is configured in a language other than Spanish.
Compatible mobile phones have the capacity to receive civil protection alerts when this option is activated. Devices with Android version 11 or higher or iOS version 15.6 or higher have this option enabled by default. These tests are published and disseminated in advance so that the public is aware of them and to avoid situations of alarm. Compatible terminals connected to the mobile network within the coverage area will receive a text message with the word "PRUEBA" (TEST) accompanied by a beep and vibration, which will disappear once read and "Accept" is pressed. No response or call to 112 is required.
This new tool of the National Civil Protection System is operational in the Canary Islands and has been used in real incidents such as the recent forest fires in La Palma and Tenerife and during the passage of storm Therese in Tenerife and La Gomera. To ensure its optimal functioning, periodic tests are continuously carried out in different parts of the Canary Islands so that the population becomes familiar with this system. ES-Alert allows alerts to be issued in case of catastrophes or emergencies such as fires, floods, volcanic eruptions, or adverse weather phenomena, without needing to install any application or register anywhere, thus providing affected citizens with instructions for self-protection.
