Public warning system to be sounded islandwide on Feb 15

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will sound the "Important Message" signal on Tuesday (Feb 15).

The minute-long exercise, which will be sounded through the islandwide network of public warning system sirens, will take place at 6.20pm.

"Do not be alarmed by the minute-long sounding exercise," said SCDF in a news release on Sunday.

The signal will also sound for all smartphones that have the SGSecure Mobile App and are not on silent or vibration mode.

The signal will stop once the message is acknowledged or cease after 20 seconds, said SCDF. This will be followed by a brief text on the sounding of the public warning system, which takes place annually.

"When you hear the “Important Message” signal, tune in immediately to any local radio station or free-to-air Mediacorp TV channel for a brief message on the PWS. If you miss the message, visit go.gov.sg/pws to know more about the PWS signals."

The Important Message signal, one of three signals, is sounded to alert the population to an important broadcast.

Feb 15 is Total Defence Day, the day Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942.

Each year, the Important Message signal of the public warning system is sounded to commemorate the day.

The sounding and broadcast message are also part of SCDF’s efforts to familiarise the public with the public warning system signals and to raise awareness on how the public should react upon hearing the signal.