Belmont and Highton residents will be used as Victoria’s test case for the National Emergency Messaging System this week.
Phones in the two suburbs will receive an alarm on Thursday afternoon to test the new AusAlert system.
Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said people can expect a ten second alert.
“If you’ve got an iPhone or Android device – we would expect that your phone would start vibrating, then it will have a very unusual audible tone, like a siren that’ll go off on your phone for around 10 seconds,” he said.
Mr Wiebusch said anyone with concerns about the alert can turn their phone off.
“What we’re saying to people is put your phone onto aeroplane mode or you can switch it off and you won’t receive those test messages as they come through.”
A national test will also be held in July, before the system is rolled out in October, ahead of the bushfire season.
