As a reminder, FR-ALERT makes it possible to prevent in real time any person holding a mobile phone that it is in a danger zone (natural disaster, industrial accident, attack, etc.) and that it must absolutely adopt certain behaviors to protect itself well. This alert takes the form of a notification, including information on the nature of the danger and the behaviors to follow to protect itself, accompanied by a specific sound signal, even when the telephone is in mode silent.
This alert system is based on cell diffusion technology, in collaboration with mobile operators. It therefore makes it possible to broadcast the same alert to all mobile phones connected to the network in a given geographical area.
In order to educate the population, tests are multiplying, often to the great surprise of the people concerned. As a reminder, in the spring of 2024, an alert had been sent to Paris to inform citizens of future security measures linked to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Recently, in early May, an exercise of the same type, presageing a possible natural disaster, was carried out in La Rochelle. On Tuesday 13, a life -size test was carried out in the department of Oise. The message clearly indicated that it was an exercise, in order to avoid any panic, but this single exercise concerned several hundred thousand people. On Saturday 17, this time it is residents of the Pyrénées-Orientales who should receive this kind of alert.
Note that these alerts develop almost everywhere within the European Union, in different forms, whether it is also a cellular distribution (Spain, Italy, Denmark, Greece) but also geolocated sms (Ireland, Poland, Sweden) or the use of a dedicated mobile application (Germany, Finland).