​Ro-Alert messages sometimes cause panic and concern among the public by issuing them in the middle of the night for issues that are not aimed at immediate citizen action, such as missing people or high wind warnings, the USR senator said. He asked the MAI whether it was considering reducing the volume of the sound and adapting the alerts according to severity, and the responses indicated that changes would be made.

• Ro-Alert message they can save lives or help find missing children, but the alert system also has undesirable aspects and has caused public dissatisfaction over time.

Senator USR: Sometimes Ro-Alert causes panic and excitement among the public

At the end of June of this year, USR Senator Claudio Muresan handed over interpellation to the Minister of Internal Affairs Katalin Preda regarding certain aspects of the work of this public notification system.

• “RO-ALERT messages contain recommendations for behavior that ensures self-protection of people in the affected area from the manifestation of an emergency situation, depending on its specifics.
• However, sometimes RO-ALERT causes panic and concern among the public due to messages sent in the middle of the night about matters that are not aimed at immediate citizen action, such as missing people or high wind alerts.
• Loud alarm sounds can cause anxiety or even panic attacks in children and the elderly. In these cases, it is important to take steps to ensure that the alarm signal is loud enough to be heard, but not so loud as to endanger people’s health.” the senator warns.

In addition, it is emphasized that “the Ro-Alert notification system is an important tool for informing and warning the population in case of emergencies, and it should maintain its role in saving lives and minimizing material damage in dangerous situations.”

On the other hand, the senator asks the MAI whether it is considering certain changes in this system, in the sense of sending warning messages at the national level, depending on the category and severity of the circumstances, in order to stop inducing panic among the population.

• “Reducing the alarm sound to a lower intensity during the first 10 seconds can help reduce the negative impact on people and help increase emergency awareness. That way, people could be warned less aggressively.” suggests the senator.

The MAI says that DSU and DPS have already started making changes

The Home Office responded to the senator that mobile phones display messages automatically, and the display and sound of alerts depends on the type of mobile phone.

On the other hand, the MAI says that through the Department of Emergency Situations (DNS) it sent a request to the Special Telecommunications System (STS) to implement measures to facilitate the change in the requirements for the interpretation of these messages by mobile phones, in the sense of sending messages according to the category and severity of the event .

• “For example, for the messages ‘severe warning’ and ‘no child warning’, the vibration mode should consist of 5 vibration periods of one second and a pause of 0.5 seconds.” shown in MAI’s response.

The ministry also says that the DPS has responded positively to some of the measures proposed by the DSU, while for others it is looking for technical solutions for their implementation, and the Ro-Alert system will be improved.

What changes have already been made by DSU and DPS, and what are they still working on

HotNews.ro asked the DSU and STS to provide details related to the changes made to the Ro-Alert system so far.

Thus, the DSU noted that on October 19, 2022, it submitted a request to the DPS to determine technical solutions that would allow for the transmission of warning messages of different tones and intensities depending on the type of risk manifested and its seriousness, and the DPS took certain measures a month later.

• SEE DSU’S FULL SPECIFICATIONS ABOUT RO-ALERT

What does the Ro-Alert message sound like and how long does it last?

In addition, DSU clarifies that currently all messages sent through the RO-ALERT system have the same alert tone.

• “The alert tone for receiving a Cell Broadcast message via the RO-ALERT system consists of a 2-second tone followed by two one-second tones with a 0.5-second pause between tones.
• The entire sound series will be repeated twice with a pause of 0.5 seconds. The total duration of the previously described notification sound is 10.5 seconds.
• For mobile phones that support polyphonic capabilities, the notification signal consists of frequencies of 852 Hz and 960 Hz, respectively, transmitted simultaneously. For those who do not support polyphonic capabilities, a frequency of 960 Hz is used.
• The vibration mode when receiving messages of the RO-ALERT type consists of a period of vibration lasting 2 seconds, followed by two periods of vibration lasting 1 second each with a pause between periods of vibration of 0.5 seconds.
• The entire vibration sequence will be repeated twice with a pause of 0.5 seconds. The total duration of the vibration described above is 10.5 seconds.”, shows DSU.

On the other hand, the Special Telecommunications Service (STS) clarified to HotNews.ro that the DSU asked it to analyze the technical possibilities for changing sounds for certain types of notifications or transmitting silent notifications.

• “In this way, our institution has determined technical solutions for the implementation of the operational requirements established by the DSU, in accordance with communication standards and ensuring the operation of the system on all types of telephones.
• In this sense, new types of alerts have been activated that allow RO-ALERT system operators to select from the program interface the type of alert depending on the event (serious alert, extreme alert, presidential alert and missing child alert).
• At the same time, specialists of our institution have defined a standardized communication channel that can be used for Silent Alert.” says STS.

Why is it hard to change notification sounds?

As the intensity of alarm signals decreases, it becomes more difficult.

• “Regarding the modification of sounds that correspond to notifications, we inform you that they are pre-defined at the level of mobile phones and implemented in the process of their production.
• However, the technical team at our institution and the operational team at DSU are in the process of defining new tones adapted to several types of alerts, depending on the severity.
• They will then be passed on to retailers, mobile network operators and mobile phone manufacturers for implementation.”, DPS employees also sent HotNews.ro.

SEE THE FULL STS SPECIFICATIONS ABOUT RO-ALERT