Did anyone else NOT get the wildfire alert?

[Brownbananaspot]

Just curious as nobody in my house did (we don't live particularly rurally but there is no phone signal here so we rely on WiFi calling). When the system has been tested previously we bavn't had the alerts then either.

It seems a but of a flawed system if it doesn't get through. I can only assume it's due to our poor signal unless there's a different reason.

We didn't.

I got 2, an hour apart. Plus one on my work phone.

We (me, my dp and ds14) all have a phone on like a family plan with vodaphone and only DP got the alert - maybe as it’s the “lead” number on the account??
but weird
I thought everyone would get it?

Neither of us did but then I heard that it was just in England and Wales so that would explain it.

I didn’t cos I turned off the alerts in my phone when they kept sending them during covid!

All of our family but one got it, no idea why!
DS2 was out in a restaurant and said it was very strange when so many phones all alerted at once

Surely not a good idea to turn the alerts off with all the fires going on at the moment. I assume they are used to get people to evacuate either in this country or if abroad

None of us did but that’s because we turned them off ages ago when we first heard about it

@SwanRose why did you turn them off?

Because we don’t want to get the alerts.

So if there was an emergency near you, you wouldn’t care @SwanRose

I got one but it was in Welsh. I live in England and don’t speak Welsh. I got the English language one about 15 mins after! It freaked me out hearing the alert but not knowing what it said - WW3 could have started and I’d be none the wiser 😆

how did everyone manage before the alerts?

They had the wireless on all day 😂

I didn't, at least not as far as I know. There's nothing on my phone.

For those of who have turned them off would you turn them on if you were abroad and there were possibilities of wildfires etc and the need of evacuation.

I checked with DC that they got the alert, as they are going on holiday to an area that’s even hotter and drier than here. So having alerts in an area you are not familiar with would seem a good idea.

We live in an area that could have wildfires that could quite easily spread for miles. It might not be obvious from the start whether we would need to evacuate as the fire could be miles away but if it spreads we might.

And those poor people in Stourbridge probably never thought a wildfire would be a problem. Can’t think many people would have seen a golf course as a fire risk. And let’s face it with gardens as dry as they are at the moment, a bonfire/BBQ in someone’s garden could quite easily spread to neighbouring properties and fire brigades are stretched so aren’t necessarily going to be able to tackle all fires.

But that’s the part of the issue, most people don’t listen to live broadcasts anymore

And many people on MN don’t even listen to/read the news or open their doors

I got four!

I didn't get it. I didn't get the test alert that was sent out some time ago either. I assume it's because my phone is old.

I had two about five minutes apart.

I was in B&M and everyone’s phones were going off. I had to explain to a terrified child what they were.

I didn't. Didn't get he test ones from last year either.

Same. My phone is old, but it does what I need it to, so I wont be replacing it.

I nearly died of fright. Have been watching the smoke from a fire on our local common for a couple of hours. I thought we were being told to evacuate until I read it and realised it was a general warning.

In the past - air raid sirens, church bells, beacon fires, radio broadcasts.

Now we have phone alerts. The world moves on. Choosing to ignore free alerts designed to save your life seems like a Darwinism to me.