I’ve turned my emergency alert off because I’m such a rebel!

[StupidFaces]

Urgh

Facebook … numerous posts over the last days consisting of:

“EMERGENCY ALERT SWITCHED OFF!!”

“Leaving my emergency alert on so I can reply and tell them to go and fuck themselves!”

“Remember everyone, emergency alerts can and should be switched off by tomorrow!”

“That’s my emergency alert turned off lol”

Why??? What’s so big and clever about turning the alert off? Don’t people realise that most countries have had this for years? Turning it off doesn’t make you Billy Big Bollocks and boasting about it just makes you look stupid!

YABU - I’ve turned mine off and I’m proud of it! Down with the establishment!

YANBU - people are ridiculous

I suppose some people just value a quiet, disconnected life and value that above all else.

Well my kid's mate's dad's dentist also said it. It's pretty blatant when you think about it, what with the TIMING and everything!

Turn it off, turn it up. It really doesn't matter. Do what you want to do - no need to shout it out to everyone else on social media like some sort of badge of honour.

Are you joking??

Yes of course it will be used for extreme weather conditions - most people will want to know if there is a hurricane or tsunami on its way.

I’m sure the people of turkey and Syria would have given anything for this sort of warning.

How many people thousands of people have died from natural disasters?

Its ironic that you’re ok with finding information out on the TV but you draw the line at finding out the information via text.

If you want to turn it off then carry on.
But don’t pretend they’re negative when they’re not.

If that was true they wouldn’t then take to social media and brag about how they’ve turned it off because they’re not a sheep.

Unless you have a legitimate reason to turn it off, then turning it off is rather like shitting your own bed.

If Putin's going to nuke us they won't have time to send an emergency alert

Why do people assume 'elderly' people don't understand how mobile phones work ffs. So insulting.

It’s like taking the batteries out of your smoke alarm. Or disconnecting your carbon monoxide detector. Some people maybe would rather just die as they lived, in blissful ignorance

These people don’t listen to reason. 🫣

I only rarely use my mobile phone. It's switched off 99.9% (or more) of the time because I don't need to be available for calls all day every day. Use a laptop for internet use, occasionally mobile phone for verification texts, and landline for phone calls. It's not likely to be switched on today.

For those of us living in cities with no flood/fire risk, what am I in danger from? Posters on here are saying that this was going to happen for years and it's a mere coincidence that there's a threat of war, so if you have local breaking news on your phone anyway, why do I need these alerts? I haven't bothered to switch mine off.

Where I live we get alerts to test the system, Every Single Saturday at 12pm. They are also loud speaker through air raid type speaks. Scares the hell out of tourists, you get used to it if you live here. And it’s actually used fairly option to warn of rock falls, traffic accidents, fire, avalanches. The fire brigade use a lot, and it’s know to go off at 2am when they are called out. Once, on a Sunday at 3pm seems like nothing.

Autism, PTSD, other anxiety about either the loud noise or the loss of control over a person's own phone or home, which is usually a safe space. Elderly or vulnerable people may wish to have it turned off, it could be frightening to a person with dementia. My grandmother was worried it would be a shock.

It can still come through on some switched off phones. So you may still get it.

@Ponoka7 how are you not at risk of fire? I live in suburbia and a few years ago a block of flats caught fire next door to us. Are there no flats, houses, offices, shops or anything near you in your city? No factories?

I bet it's the same group of people who announced they weren't complying with covid restrictions.

My dad would say this goes under his favourite phrase.
Better to stay quiet and have people suspect you're a fool than open your mouth and confirm it.
Or in this case post on social media and confirm it.

There was a local big fire, and we had an alarm to show on the map where it was, make sure to keep out road for the fire trucks (narrow roads to get there) and for those nearest to stay inside and close windows etc.

Im going to turn mine off for the test as am autistic and even waiting for a phone to ring can make me jump and get palpitations, so a whopping alarm is not going to do me well (Katherine Tate has nothing on me!)

However after that Im probably going to swith the extreme alert back on.

There is a chemical works near where I grew up. Occasionally there are pink clouds and although not dangerous (of course) we were always advised to close doors and windows. That's the kind of thing they'll be telling you.

Yup! I dont get this either. Its helpful to know when roads are going to be closed etc- saves an awful lot of pointless driving about, why wouldnt you want to know if it makes your life less stressful?

This government doesn't seem conducive to good mental health: The anxiety caused by the cost of living crisis and now fear mongering campaigns like National alerts.

It can be used for warnings to close windows from a chemical leak, major accident with a warning to avoid the area, a local fire. You only get the alert if something happens local to you.

I've opted for no smoke alarms. They got popular because of people leaving chip pans on after coming in from the pub. Or falling asleep smoking. There's no children in my households, I have fire escape windows. I'm in more danger falling off the ladder when changing the batteries. I'm 55.

At my workplace we have been asked to turn it off as it presents a safety risk. So not everyone is being big and clever in turning it off.