SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will sound its “Important Message” signal islandwide on Wednesday (Feb 15), in support of Total Defence Day.
The Important Message signal is one of three public warning signals and is sounded to alert the population to an important broadcast.
The minute-long exercise will take place at 6.20pm on Wednesday, to “remind us that we need to stand resilient and do our part to protect Singapore and our future”, said SCDF.
The signal will be sounded through a network of public warning system sirens placed throughout Singapore.
It will also sound for smartphones that have the SGSecure mobile app downloaded and are not on silent or vibration mode. The signal will automatically stop after 20 seconds.
When members of the public hear the Important Message signal, they should tune in immediately to any local radio station or free-to-air TV channel for a brief message on the public warning system, said SCDF in a news release on Monday.
A message will also appear on smartphones via the SGSecure mobile app.
Those who miss the message can visit go.gov.sg/pws to know more about the signals.
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 part of SCDF’s efforts to familiarise the public with public warning system signals, and to raise awareness on how the public should react upon hearing them.
The purpose of the public warning system is to alert the public to imminent threats to lives and property, whether originating from air, land, sea or natural or man-made disasters.