Emergency warning, Important public announcement
Important public announcement is the system used to alert the public in case of accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.
What situations might these be?
The signal is used, for example, in the event of disruption of essential public services or when the public is put at risk by dangerous fires, toxic gas emissions or explosions. It can also be used in the event of the spread of disease or serious crime that poses a public danger.
Get the emergency warning to your phone
To reach even more people in the event of a major incident and further increase safety, emergency messages are supplemented with alerts by phone. This means that you can be alerted immediately if something happens in your area. For more information on the emergency warning, follow this link:
The Swedish Civil Protection Agency
External link.
What does the signal sound like?
The outdoor warning system is tested at 15.00 (3 pm) on the first non-public holiday Monday in March, June, September, and December. The signal will sound for 7 seconds, with 14 second breaks, for a total of 6 times. Afterwards, the “danger over” signal is also tested, which is an uninterrupted 30-second signal.
What should you do when the signal is heard?
- stay indoors or go indoors if you are outside
- close doors and windows, vents and fans
- turn on the radio's P4 or text TV and wait for information on what has happened and what you should do to protect yourself.
Where can I hear the signal?
Use of the signal is restricted to the specific area where the public is deemed to be in danger. In the municipality of Skellefteå there are outdoor alarm systems installed covering Skellefteå urban area, Boliden, Skelleftehamn, Örviken and Ursviken.
The outdoor alert is only one part of the overall emergency system. SMS, radio, TV and digital channels are important information channels for the authorities.
113 13 is Sweden's information number for major emergencies and crises. You can call 113 13 to get and give information, and the number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The number is designed to reduce the burden on the emergency number 112 during major incidents.
Here are some examples of what you can get answers to on 113 13:
- There has been a emergency signal where I live, is it ok to go out?
- The drinking water tastes bad, can I drink it?
- I smell smoke but I don't see a fire, is something happening in my area?
- There are long queues on the motorway, no one is going anywhere, has something serious happened?
- I heard on the news about a big explosion near us, should I stay inside?