Estonian Rescue Services Agency tests EE-ALARM: take three minutes on that day to be crisis-ready

Although there is no direct danger during the test, the unusual situation may raise questions among the public. If you have any questions during the test, you should definitely call the State helpline 1247, where you can obtain reliable and verified information.

If there is a threat to someone’s life, health or property and you need urgent assistance from the police, ambulance or rescue services, you must call emergency number 112.

The aim of public warning alerts is to save lives. The faster we can communicate instructions on how to behave in the event of an incident that threatens life and health, the better people can protect themselves and their loved ones. This may be necessary in the event of major disasters, extreme weather conditions or, for example, military conflict.

If you hear sirens or receive a public warning alert from EE-ALARM telling you to take shelter, go immediately to the nearest indoor space, close the doors, windows and ventilation, and only then look for further information.

Only look for further information once you are in a safer place: on the website www.kriis.ee or via the State helpline 1247, on ERR channels (including Vikerraadio) and on government social media. The government will announce the need to take shelter via all public warning alert and media channels.

Next year (2027), Estonia will introduce a new technology that does not require any specific app and through which public warning alerts will reach a person’s phone with an audible alert, as is the case in many crisis-hit areas. Cell broadcast will be developed in Estonia by 2027, and it will enable public warning alerts to be sent instantly in the future and, depending on the hazard level, to alert the user via sound, vibration and light on their phone, even when the phone is in silent mode.

Testing the public warning system is necessary to ensure that the system works properly before it is used in a real crisis situation. The aim of testing is to determine whether alerts reach people as intended by various channels.

Testing also helps to identify technical bottlenecks that may hinder the transmission of alerts via different channels.

Furthermore, it allows the system’s reliability to be assessed in situations where there is a high workload or service disruptions. Testing helps improve cooperation between various parties, such as government agencies and service providers, and raises public awareness of the nature and use of hazard alerts.

Estonia is piloting a public warning alert technology in cooperation with the European Space Agency, which operates via the Galileo satellite. This solution allows public warning alerts to be sent to people in a very different way. The public warning alert texts must already be pre-stored on phones (for example, by the mobile phone manufacturer), as the satellite itself does not send texts, but only the ‘code’ for the desired message. Upon receiving the signal from the satellite, a combination of texts is displayed to the user. This requires devices supporting the technology to reach the market. However, it would allow key public warning alerts to be sent even if all terrestrial communications are down

Sending public warning alerts in languages most widely used in Estonia is essential for several reasons.

• The right to life is independent of language proficiency. Everyone has the right to understand a public warning alert in order to protect their life, health, loved ones and property. For this reason, in addition to the official language, we also broadcast public warning alerts in the two foreign languages most widely understood in Estonia.
• When you receive an immediate public warning alert, you must act straight away; you may have only a few minutes to protect your own life and that of your loved ones. No child or elderly person should suffer simply because the person responsible for them cannot understand the instructions quickly.
• Current practice shows that if information is in a language the recipient does not understand, it significantly increases the workload of the State helpline 1247 and the emergency number 112, as the content must be translated for people. This, in turn, affects the work of the agencies providing assistance and slows down the delivery of help.

On Wednesday, 10 June, the Estonian Rescue Services Agency, in cooperation with partner organisations, will test the nationwide public warning system EE-ALARM. As part of this, an SMS message will be sent to all mobile phones across Estonia at midday. At around 3 pm, an alert will also be sent via the ‘Eesti äpp’ and the ‘Ole Valmis!’ apps.

The SMS and app notifications will be as follows:

• In Estonian
  Päästeamet: Täna, 10. juunil, kell 15.00-15.10 toimub ohuteavituse test, käivituvad sireenid. Ohtu pole. Lisainfo: kriis.ee, 1247. Tagasiside: kriis.ee. Võta täna kolm minutit, et saada kriisikindlamaks. Loe lisaks olevalmis.ee.
• In English (for Estonian SIM cards) 
  Rescue Service: Today, 10 June from 15:00 to 15:10 a public warning test will be carried out, sirens will sound. No real danger. More info: kriis.ee, 1247. Feedback: kriis.ee. Take three minutes today to become more crisis-ready, read more: olevalmis.ee
• In English (for international SIM cards) 
  Rescue Service: Today, 10 June from 15:00 to 15:10 a public warning test, sirens will sound. No danger. More info: kriis.ee, +372 600 1247. Feedback: kriis.ee.
• In Russian
  Спасательный департамент: Сегодня, 10.06, с 15:00-15:10 тест системы оповещения, включатся сирены. Опасности нет. Инфо: kriis.ee, 1247. Отзыв: kriis.ee. Удели 3 мин, чтобы подтовиться к кризисам. Читай: olevalmis.ee

The emergency alert system has been constructed so that it ensures that people are alerted as quickly and as widely as possible and even in a situation where some communication services might be disrupted or down.

The efficacy of the channels differs, depending on the event and the situation. Situations that require notifying can also differ -- sometimes the primary need is to notify people as quickly as possible, at other times it is most important to give instructions that are as precise as possible. There is no universal channel that would make it possible to reach all people.

A pocket siren, or 5G broadcast, is a completely new technology where a 5G broadcast network is used to transmit messages, which is different from a standard 5G mobile network. Currently, no such solution exists anywhere in the world. With this technology, audio, images and video can also be transmitted alongside public warning alerts.

The Ministry of the Interior, together with its partners, is currently piloting this technology, and testing will continue until 2027. The government will then decide whether and how to proceed with this technology. A realistic timeframe for the introduction of this technology is 5–10 years.

At present, the vast majority of smartphones are not capable of receiving 5G broadcast alerts, and therefore this does not affect ordinary users.

However, if someone happens to have a rare (often imported) phone that supports these frequencies not used in Estonia, some ordinary users may be able to receive a test public warning alert as part of the pilot scheme.

The Information Technology and Development Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the Rescue Services Agency and a private partner, is measuring sound levels in Estonian towns and cities to assess how the modelled audibility of sirens compares with reality. This will enable us to evaluate whether and how the siren network needs to be densified or expanded.

Emergency sirens are designed to attract the attention of people outdoors. Even at close range, the sound of the sirens is comparable to the volume of an open-air concert. The sirens can be heard indoors, but this depends on both the sound insulation of the room and the distance from the siren.

In buildings where sirens are installed, the sound may not be any more audible than in buildings further away, as the sirens are positioned so that the sound is directed away from the building. For this reason, sirens are generally located in high places where the sound cannot be reflected back.The threat sirens are meant to catch the attention of people who are outside. Even nearby, the sound of the sirens is comparable to the sound levels of an open-air concert. It is possible to hear the sirens indoors but that depends both on the sound isolation of the indoor space and the distance from the siren.

The sound of the sirens might not be heard better in buildings that have the sirens attached to them than in buildings further away, as the sirens have been installed so that the sound is directed away from the building. For this reason, the sirens are placed in high places as a rule, so that it would not be possible for the sound to reflect.

In 2025, the IT and Development Centre of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the Health Board, assessed the sound pressure of emergency sirens in Pärnu and found that there is certainly no danger to people or their hearing – even at close range, the sound of the sirens is comparable to the sound level of an open-air concert.

The only area that is potentially hazardous to hearing is one that no one can accidentally enter. Access to this area is restricted and marked with warning signs.

The sirens are installed in such a way that people are restricted from getting too close to them, and doing so would require access to an area closed to the public or a site with restricted access.

All siren operators have been notified in advance that on the day the sirens are activated, no one must be allowed near them, nor should any work be carried out in the vicinity (for example, on the roof of a building or on a mast). We recommend keeping a distance of around 30 metres from the siren in a direct line of sight (provided there are no obstacles such as walls, corners or roof edges in the way).

No, there is no danger during the public warning alert test. The current testing focuses primarily on mapping the development needs of the siren network.

We are determining whether the siren network needs to be densified or whether we can proceed with its expansion. To this end, we are measuring the siren coverage areas using sound level meters. Individuals, institutions and businesses do not need to make any special preparations for the activation of the public warning alert. However, we urge you to review the crisis behaviour guidelines on the olevalmis.ee website and consider which rooms could be used as shelters should the need arise.

The siren sound is a one-minute rising and falling tone, repeated at least three times with a 30-second interval between each repetition. In total, the siren sound heard during the public warning alert test lasts four minutes.

The siren sound file is available on www.olevalmis.ee/en/public-warning-system-known-as-ee-alarm.

When you hear sirens or receive a shelter alert from EE-ALARM, go immediately to the nearest indoor space, on the lowest possible floor, in a room with sturdy walls and away from windows.

In an emergency, there may not always be ideal solutions, and we must find the best possible solution within the existing environment. The general recommendation is to go to the basement, but if there isn’t one, stay on the lowest possible floor and use other safer rooms. It is important to stay away from windows, remain indoors where there are at least two solid walls between you and the outside environment, etc.: such rooms are often bathrooms, toilets and stairwells. There are various solutions, and some offer better protection than others. If there is no other option, pulling a thick curtain across the windows will help a little. 

Unfortunately, the fact is that outside a building, there is a significantly higher risk of being hit by something in the event of an explosion. Remember that any barrier between you and the danger can save you from serious injury or death.

If you are outdoors and there is no indoor space nearby, do not simply stand in the open air if there is a risk of explosion. The best way to protect yourself at that moment is to lie flat in a hollow or ditch and cover your head with your hands. The most dangerous thing is to remain standing and visible. Taking cover means you reduce your vulnerability – any obstacle between you and the danger can save you from serious injury. In the event of an explosion, the greatest danger comes from shrapnel and debris flying at high speed, which could strike you. You should therefore keep as close to the ground as possible.

Experience in Ukraine shows that in a war situation, the upper floors of buildings or an entire side of a building may often be severely damaged, but the structure itself remains intact, and people on the lower floors have managed to take shelter safely. Adapting basements or lower-level rooms (for example, by shoring up the ceiling or walls) also helps significantly to ensure the room remains stable even if the building collapses. Unfortunately, the likelihood of serious injury or death is many times greater when you are outdoors without shelter.

The siren network has been installed in 22 settlements across Estonia and covers approximately 65% of the population. The siren is primarily intended to warn people outdoors and does not need to be heard indoors. The siren sound means only one thing – you must immediately take shelter in the nearest indoor space and only then seek further information.

Owners of buildings and sites with siren posts have already been notified well in advance. The sirens are installed in places that are inaccessible to the general public.

The Rescue Services Agency has issued instructions on how to notify the authorities if maintenance or construction work is to be carried out near the sirens. You can continue with your daily life as normal.

No, the first stage was finished by the beginning of 2025. Tests of the siren network will show whether additional siren posts need to be erected in settlements or whether their locations need to be changed. The Rescue Services Agency, in cooperation with SMIT, has also mapped out that, for optimal coverage, approximately 200 more siren posts would need to be installed at around 50 locations. Developments in the coming years – both the densification of the network in settlements currently equipped with sirens and covering new areas – will depend on decisions regarding the state budget.

The sound from a single siren post can be heard up to 1.5–2 kilometres away in the sector in which the sirens are installed. This depends on factors such as buildings, general background noise, and the weather.

To understand the exact range of the siren sound, the sirens must be tested and sound levels measured in real-life conditions.

The siren network has been installed in accordance with the project plan and is operational in the 22 towns listed below. An estimated 65% of the Estonian population is covered by 120 siren posts.

• Haapsalu
• Jõgeva
• Jõhvi
• Keila
• Kohtla-Järve and Ahtme
• Kuressaare
• Kärdla
• Maardu
• Narva
• Paide
• Paldiski
• Pärnu
• Põlva
• Rakvere
• Rapla
• Sillamäe
• Tallinn and densely populated areas in the surrounding regions (including Tabasalu, the Harkujärve area, Saue and Laagri, Peetri village, Saku, Tabasalu, Viimsi municipality)
• Tapa
• Tartu
• Valga
• Viljandi
• Võru

Sirens are only one part of the national hazard warning system and are in use in Estonia’s largest towns and cities. Sirens are designed to warn people on the streets of a danger. They may not be audible indoors, as this depends on various factors: the soundproofing of the building, weather conditions, the location of the sirens, etc. In other cases, public warning alerts must reach people through other channels, which currently include SMS, notifications in the ‘Eesti äpp’ and the ‘Ole valmis!’ mobile apps, and text crawlers on ERR channels ETV and ETV+, the ERR.ee portal and the news app. In early 2027, there are plans to develop a cell broadcast system, which will enable public warning alerts to be sent instantly and, depending on the hazard level, alert the user via sound and light on their phone even if the phone is in silent mode.

EE-ALARM public warning alerts are not sent based on the population register or residential address data. Only devices with a SIM card located within a specific risk zone or on its border receive the SMS message. In other words, if you were not in the area at the time of the emergency, you would not have received the message.

If you do not receive an EE-ALARM SMS message even during nationwide tests, please check your SMS spam folder (spam/junk). If the SMS is not there either, please contact your mobile operator.

If you would like to receive notifications for a specific region in future, download the "Ole Valmis!" or Eesti äpp app and select the counties for which you wish to receive public warning alerts.

It depends on the number of people in the alert areas. It may take up to ten minutes, or even longer, for the SMS to reach all recipients.

No, EE-ALARM risk-zone-based SMS alerts are sent to people who are in the area where the alert is intended to be sent.

In situations that may endanger people’s lives and health or national security, the emergency response agency (e.g. the police, Rescue Services Agency, Health Board, etc.) can send an SMS message to people in the risk zone, with EE-ALARM as the sender.

If a person does not have an Estonian number, the message will be sent from the number +372 5950 0000.

The message is also posted on the kriis.ee website.

Under normal circumstances, only devices with a SIM card located within the risk zone or on its border will receive the SMS. This depends largely on the service provider and the mobile phone mast to which the device is connected. It is therefore possible that some residents of a building or street within the danger zone may not receive the message.

There is also a very small chance that, on the same day, a mobile network operator has launched a new base station, the details of which are not yet in the EE-ALARM system. If your phone is connected to that base station, the messages will unfortunately not reach you, even if you are in the risk zone. Network information is updated in the system once a day.

From 15 April 2025, hazard-based SMS messages are sent to people in their preferred language. To ensure that essential information reaches you quickly and is clearly understandable in a crisis situation, you should check your language preference with your mobile operator. Previously, risk-zone-based SMS messages were often sent in three languages at once, which made the messages longer and slowed down their delivery.

Important! Notifications received in apps depend on the language settings within those apps.

The public warning alert channels are designed to complement each other both in terms of content and technology, so that information reaches as many people as possible through various channels at a critical moment. To this end, there is a comprehensive public warning alert system called EE-ALARM, which consists of:

• location-based SMS
• ‘Eesti äpp’ and ‘Ole Valmis!’ mobile apps
• siren network
• text crawlers on ETV and ETV+ channels, the ERR.ee portal and the ‘ERR News’ mobile app.

The aim is to continue expanding the public warning alert channels.

In the ‘Ole Valmis!’ app, notifications are sent in the same language as the app itself. Notifications in the Estonian app are sent to users in either Estonian or English, depending on the user’s settings.

The choice of public warning alert channels depends on the severity and scale of the situation. In some cases, alerts are only necessary for people in a specific (hazard) area; in others, they are needed nationwide. As the app itself cannot track a user’s exact location, the user can make this choice themselves.

Important! By default, app notifications are set to nationwide – this means that a person will always receive the app notification, regardless of whether they are in the hazard area or not.

Yes, the ‘Eesti äpp’ and the ‘Ole valmis!’ mobile apps must be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

• the Eesti äpp application for Android devices in Google Play and for Apple devices in the App Store.
• The "Ole valmis!" app for Android devices Google Play’ and Apple devices in the App Store.

Mobile app users can choose whether they want notifications for the whole of Estonia or just their local area. This allows people to customise the scope of notifications according to their preferences.

The mobile app also allows you to receive notifications even when you are in another region or even another country. We recommend checking the apps’ permissions and settings in your mobile phone’s settings so that notifications are received as quickly as possible.

No, mobile apps do not require access to your location. However, users must choose for themselves whether they wish to receive alerts across the whole of Estonia or only in their local area. This allows people to tailor the scope of alerts to their preferences.

The ‘Ole Valmis!’ app now allows users to enable location-based hazard alerts as well – it records the user’s location to county level and updates it every hour, not more frequently. This is a great way to receive alerts whilst on the move.

Generally, a notification from the mobile app arrives within seconds.

Yes, if the government sends a public warning alert nationwide or to a region you have previously selected, you will receive the alert via the app even whilst abroad, provided you have an internet connection.

If a person’s life, health or national security is at risk, the state will notify those at risk as quickly as possible.

The state always does this through several different channels. For this purpose, there is a comprehensive public warning system called EE-ALARM, which consists of:

• location-based SMS alerts
• the ‘Eesti äpp’ and ‘Ole Valmis!’ mobile apps
• a siren network
• text crawlers on ETV and ETV+ channels, the ‘ERR News’ mobile app and the ERR.ee portal.

The channels through which the state disseminates public warning alerts depend on the severity and scale of the situation. In some cases, the alert is only necessary for people in a specific (hazard) area; in others, it is nationwide.

The government always disseminates public warning alerts to the public via multiple channels to ensure the information reaches as many people as possible.

From the user’s perspective, it is much more convenient if an additional function is added to an app that is already on their phone. Furthermore, some phones may delete apps that a person does not use regularly, and as a result, information may not be received at all at a critical moment.

These are mobile apps with different focuses, both of which have the functionality to receive public warning alerts. We recommend downloading both apps. The ‘Eesti äpp’ is Estonia’s national mobile app, through which you can access various government services and view identity documents conveniently and securely on your mobile device.

In the ‘Eesti äpp’, you can receive location-based public warning alerts whether you are logged in or not. If you wish to continue without logging in, select ‘Continue as a guest’ on the app’s home screen. Public warning alerts are located in the Civil Protection Services section. To configure these, tap the user icon in the top right-hand corner of the app menu. Then select ‘Settings’ and then ‘Public warning alert settings’.

The ‘Ole Valmis!’ mobile app provides guidance on how to act in various situations, which can be viewed even when the internet connection is down. It also includes a home emergency kit checklist, useful phone numbers, e-learning on cyber safety, and more.

Educational institutions must ensure that they can guarantee the mental and physical safety and health of students and staff whilst they are on the premises. Among other things, educational institutions must have up-to-date plans for action in a crisis situation (or an emergency situation, as defined at ), which must also include guidelines on how to behave when taking shelter.

The Ministry of Education and Research’s working group on the compilation of guidance materials for educational institutions’ crisis plans has drawn up a model crisis plan for educational institutions, together with methodological guidelines and action cards, to support educational institutions in drawing up their own crisis plans, resolving crisis situations and raising awareness among staff and students.

Yes. The educational institution must inform its students, staff and, in the case of children, their parents about the public warning alert test. The head of the educational institution is responsible for organising this communication. Teachers can discuss the public warning system in more detail with children and young people. See further information: www.olevalmis.ee/en/public-warning-system-known-as-ee-alarm.

No, it does not. Life continues as normal during hazard warning tests, but if desired, educational establishments may practice taking shelter.

No, everyone can continue with their normal activities. The purpose of the public warning alert test is not to practice how parents should respond.

The educational institution.

Although it has been taught in educational institutions for years that in the event of an alarm, you should go to the assembly point located outside the building, the general rule is that if the alarm is inside the building, go outside, and if the alarm is outside the building, go inside. In other words, if you hear a siren, you should take shelter in the nearest indoor space, preferably a basement or the lowest possible floor, away from windows and doors.

The government will provide information about the public warning alert test via public media channels, app notifications and EE-ALARM SMS.

Further information is available on the websites olevalmis.ee and kriis.ee, and via the state helpline on 1247.