Estonia to test nationwide EE-ALARM warning system on Wednesday
Wednesday 14th October 2026 on 07:30 in
Estonia
Estonia’s Rescue Board will test the nationwide EE-ALARM warning system on Wednesday afternoon, activating sirens and sending alerts through the Eesti app and the Ole valmis! app over 10 minutes, ERR reports. Warning ticker messages will also appear on ERR channels.
Before the test begins at 3 p.m., people will receive a text message reminding them that there is no real emergency.
Viktor Saaremets, deputy director general of the Rescue Board, said the system is tested three times a year. This time, officials will also measure siren coverage in smaller towns. The tests are intended to check that the entire system works, he said, as development of EE-ALARM is still ongoing.
Sirens are primarily intended to warn people outdoors, as they may not be heard inside buildings. Saaremets said alerts therefore need to reach people through several channels. Previous feedback has indicated that some people did not receive text alerts, sometimes because of poor mobile coverage or because messages were filtered as spam.
Real emergency alerts can be sent to specific areas rather than the whole country. A Cell Broadcast solution, which would send alerts within seconds to phones in a danger zone, is expected to be ready by next spring.
A practical shelter exercise will take place at the same time in Tallinn’s Rotermann Quarter, involving tenants and employees. Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik said the district was chosen because many people move through it and it has underground shelters. Further exercises are planned to check whether people can find the right routes, doors are open, staff are prepared to help and plans work in practice.
Terik said Tallinn does not currently have enough official shelters. In a real emergency, people outdoors should move to the nearest suitable indoor space or underground passage. Finding shelter can be harder in apartment districts where stairwell doors are often locked. The city is planning a mobile shelter programme for next year, which would provide temporary shelter locations in public spaces.
The Rescue Board recommends using the test as an opportunity to decide where to go in a real emergency and to practise the route with family or colleagues.