Bulgaria national emergency alert system testing

Bulgaria conducted a nationwide test of its National Early Warning and Notification System (NSRPO) and the BG-ALERT system on October 1.

Prior to the exercise, regional authorities in Ruse Province coordinated with local institutions and the Regional Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection to prepare for the test. The planned procedure included acoustic signals and voice messages stating, “Attention! Attention! Attention! A technical check is being performed.”

The actual test, which lasted from 11:00 to 11:30, involved activating acoustic sirens in numerous cities, including Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Plovdiv, and Ruse, as well as within a 30-kilometer zone surrounding the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Simultaneously, the BG-ALERT system distributed test messages in both Bulgarian and English to mobile devices across the country. Authorities noted that the mobile alerts depend on individual device settings, requiring users to enable the ‘Test Signals’ channel to receive future notifications. The exercise aimed to verify the functionality and readiness of all system components.