It’s a beautiful Wednesday morning, and you’ve headed to the coffee shop for some steaming hot prata.
Just as you go in for your first bite, you hear an alarm that makes you drop your fork and delicious piece of prata to the floor, as your eyes widen with fear.
Oh no, has dining out become illegal again? WHY HAS NO ONE TOLD ME?!
But then you see everyone else carrying on with their meal, as calm as a meditating monk, and you’re confused.
Unbeknownst to you, this is what the authorities planned all along.
SCDF Will Sound Public Warning System on 15 Sep; Those With SGSecure App Will Hear The Signal from Their Phones as well
At 6:20pm next Wednesday (15 Sep), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will sound the annual “Important Message” signal across the country through the public warning system.
The signal will sound for a minute, and there’s no need to be alarmed, SCDF said.
Those who have the SGSecure app on their phones will also hear the signal on their devices if they are not on silent or vibration mode.
A message will pop up, notifying you of the signal, and will stop sounding when you acknowledge it. Otherwise, it will end after 20 seconds.
Users will then receive a brief text on the sounding of the public warning system.
A Network of Sirens to Warn of Imminent Dangers
The public warning system (PWS) is a network of sirens that the SCDF has placed strategically throughout the country in the 1980s.
The purpose of this system is to warn the public of imminent threats that could endanger lives and property, such as natural disasters and airstrikes.
According to SCDF’s website, there are three types of signals that are used to warn the public of such dangers, namely:
- The Alarm Signal
- The All Clear Signal
- The Important Message Signal
The Alarm Signal is sounded when an airstrike or shelling is imminent. Residents should move to a shelter upon hearing this signal.
When you hear the All Clear Signal, you can relax, as the threat is over. Residents can leave the shelter when they hear this signal.
The Important Message Signal which will sound next Wednesday, is sounded to alert the population to an important broadcast on the radio.
Now, there’s obviously no specific message which the authorities wish to relay next Wednesday.
They are simply using the PWS to familiarise residents with the system and to raise awareness on how to react when these signals are sounded.
So when you’re eating your prata next Wednesday, don’t drop it to the ground when you hear the signal. That in itself is a disaster you may not recover from.
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Featured Image: akiyoko/shutterstock.com ; Facebook (Singapore Civil Defence Force)