Region of Durham to test nuclear public alerting system on May 6 and 7

Whitby, Ontario – The Region of Durham will test its nuclear public alerting system on May 6 and 7. The system is in place to warn people in the unlikely event of an emergency at the nuclear generating station in Clarington or Pickering.

Testing will take place during daytime hours over two days:

• On May 6, an auto dialer will call about 100,000 landline phone numbers within 10 kilometres of the nuclear generating stations. The calls will show as coming from 905-666-6291 on call display systems.
• On May 7, outdoor sirens will sound for up to one minute. The sirens are within three kilometres of the stations and will be heard by people who are outdoors and in that area.

Cell phone, radio and TV alerts are tested separately by the Province of Ontario and will not be part of the May 6 and 7 tests.

Testing the nuclear public alerting system ensures the system will work as designed in a real emergency. The tests also let people who live or work in the area become aware of and familiar with the alerts. In a real emergency, more information and instructions would be shared through official government channels and local media outlets.

The next test is scheduled for fall 2019.

For more information, visit durham.ca/NuclearPreparedness, or call the public alerting information line at 1-866-551-5373.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.