Here we’ll give you some emergency text message examples and ideas, so that you can easily set up your own templates in case of an emergency or time-sensitive situation.
Each template follows a pattern similar to this: source, what happened, and what to do.
Emergency Text Message Examples & Templates
Weather Examples
EXAMPLES:
Safety officer advises taking shelter now - severe thunderstorm impending at your worksite area until 3:20pm. Cease work until further notice. Visit our X page for live updates or call [phone number].
Chancellor’s office - Campus closed and classes canceled today due to the blizzard. Campus will reopen tomorrow at 8am. Stay tuned for further updates!
TEMPLATES:
[Source such as the National Weather Service, corporate office, administration, etc.] has [guidance regarding what action to take specific to the type of weather emergency] until [specific time, or further notice]. [Further instructions]. Visit [link] or call [phone number].
[Source such as the National Weather Service, corporate office, administration, etc.] - [Information pertinent to recipients, such as building closure] due to [type of weather emergency]. [Information about when the emergency is over, such as building reopening] at [specific time]. Stay tuned for further updates!
Work Hazard Examples
EXAMPLES:
From HR - There has been a hazardous spill in Warehouse F. Please evacuate and report to the main office for further instruction.
From management - A fire has been detected on the main floor. Refrain from coming to work until notified by your supervisor (evacuate if you are already in the building). Visit [website] or call your supervisor for updates.
TEMPLATES:
From [authority source, such as HR] - [Information about what type of emergency occurred]. [Guidance regarding what action to take]. [Information on how to get further information/instruction].
From [authority source, such as HR] - [Information about what type of emergency occurred]. [Guidance regarding what action to take]. Visit [website/social media page] or call [phone number or specific person’s title] for updates.
Power or System Outage Examples
EXAMPLES:
CEO James Pelton has issued a building closure due to a system-wide power outage until further notice. Please do not come to work until you hear from your supervisor. Call [phone number] with any questions.
From: IT - System is down. Expected fix within 30 minutes. Prompt response to customers during this outage is critical.
TEMPLATES:
[Source, such as management] has issued [pertinent event, such as a building closure] due to [power or system outage event] until [expected time, or 'further notice']. [Guidance regarding what action to take.] Call [phone number] with any questions.
From: [source, such as management] - [Power or system] is down. Expected fix [timeframe, specific time, or 'to be determined']. [Additional information].
Safety Threat
EXAMPLES:
Urgent! From Security: There has been an alleged assault on campus, near Building D. Law enforcement is handling it. If on campus, please find a safe place and remain there. If currently off campus, please remain off campus until further notice.
Urgent! From Security: A potential explosive has been discovered in the Student Union. Evacuate immediately. Please await further instructions.
TEMPLATE:
Urgent! From [source, such as Security] - [Information about safety threat, such as what the threat is and where it was discovered]. [Guidance regarding what action to take.] [Guidance regarding when and how to get more information].
“Non-Emergency” Urgent Items (Examples)
The above are just a few examples of emergency texts you could send.
And the concept can apply even if your situation isn’t an “emergency” per se, but is an urgent situation requiring immediate attention.
This might include events such as:
- Last minute office closures
The doctor is sick, so offices are closed today! Sorry for any inconvenience! We’ll plan on reopening tomorrow at 8:30am.
- Shift needs
We’re in need of 2 people to cover the night shift tonight! Any volunteers?
- Class or event cancellations
Zumba class is canceled due to a family emergency! We’ll do a make-up class next week. (More details to come.)
- Venue changes or updates
The pool is closed due to maintenance. Apologies for any inconvenience!
- Schedule changes
Shift B has been changed to 11am tomorrow due to a staff illness. Please let your supervisor know if this presents any conflict!
Definitions
What Are Emergency Text Alerts?
Emergency text alerts are mass text messages sent to notify an audience regarding emergencies or time-sensitive information. Emergency text alerts are different from Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) in that they come through as normal text messages, while WEAs are special notifications issued by authorized public safety officials.
What Constitutes an “Emergency”?
When it comes to emergency text alerts, an emergency isn’t necessarily something life-threatening.
But it does always involve something time-sensitive that needs to be communicated to a group of people.
(Note: a true "emergency" classification may need to include an element of true threat, but the general usage of the term doesn't require this.)
Some examples could include:
- Safety alerts
- Cancellations and closures
- Shift changes and needs
- Last-minute meeting notices
- Anything else that needs to be communicated last-minute
What Are Wireless Emergency Alerts?
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are special public service alerts issued by government entities. These are separate from emergency text alerts in that they (1) can only be issued by authorized public safety agents, (2) trigger a unique sound and vibration on the recipient’s phone, and (3) don’t count toward the texting limits on the recipient’s plan (among other differences).
Text alert services can’t provide access to send WEAs. But emergency text alerts can accomplish a similar goal of communicating emergency or urgent messages quickly to a large number of people.
How to Send Emergency Text Messages
Sending an emergency text message needs to be easy.
After all, by definition, time is of the essence. So you need a simple, user-friendly process.
The good news is that there are just a couple of quick steps you need to take in order to send out your emergency alert.
Steps
Pre-Step: Set Up a Text Alert System
Scrambling is good when you’re making eggs, but not when you’re trying to send an urgent text.
In order to not be scrambling when the time comes, you need to make sure everything is set up and ready to go ahead of time.
This means:
- Selecting the text alert service you’d like to use: this involves first getting a free trial account on your chosen service
- Making sure your contacts are loaded into the texting database
- Downloading the mobile app
Once you have your text alert account set up and contacts loaded in, you’re ready to go to shoot out a text blast whenever the need arises.
Step 1: Log In
In an urgent situation, you don’t want to worry about trying to remember your login credentials and dealing with password reset processes.
So make sure you have your login credentials saved somewhere (securely) for easy reference.
Then whenever you need to send out an emergency text alert, you can log right in.
We’d recommend logging into the mobile app during emergency moments since it’s a bit more convenient, but you can log in to the online platform as well.
Step 2: Select the Recipients
If you want to send to your entire database, simply select the “all” option and move on.
However, if your alert only applies to a small subset of your contact list, you can choose to only send to particular groups, or you can select specific subscribers.
Step 3: Enter the Message
Once your recipient list is selected, all you have to do is input the message content and hit “Send.”
Your message will then go out immediately to your contact list.
(If you want to save even more time and skip this step, you can even set up message templates with pre-filled content ahead of time.)
You can confirm the success of your message by viewing your SMS delivery report.
Elements to Include
FEMA provides a list of elements they recommend when sending an alert via WEA.
This same concept could be applied to SMS, as well as email and voicemail.
These different elements include the following.
Source
What’s the source of the emergency information? Is it the police department? Local news? The National Weather Service? The governor’s office? The federal government?
Identify the source so that people know where you’re getting your info.
Guidance on What to Do
Let people know the recommended course of action.
Do they need to take shelter? Evacuate?
In an emergency, people need to know exactly what they’re supposed to do.
Nature & Location of Hazard
Explain what the actual emergency is and where it’s located.
Is it a tornado a few miles outside of town? Is it a public disturbance within a particular building on the university campus?
This will let people know why there’s a problem, so that they can stay alert.
Termination Time in Local Time Zone
What’s the estimated termination time for the emergency?
In other words, when is the emergency expected to be over?
State the termination time in the local time zone of your recipients if possible.
If the termination time is unknown, you can say “until further notice.”
URL
If applicable, include a link at which people can find more information.
FEMA suggests considering linking to social media rather than your website. This would be particularly relevant if you have a large audience - your site may not be used to a lot of traffic at once and could potentially crash.
Giving people a link allows them some peace of mind since they can check for updates whenever they’d like.
Phone Number
If applicable, also include a phone number people can call with any questions or concerns.
However, if you do include a phone number, make sure you have the capacity to monitor and answer the phone calls.
--
Those are different elements you can put together to create your emergency texts and other messages.
Keep in mind that with SMS, it’s recommended to keep your messages at 160 characters or fewer if possible. If you include more than 160 characters, your message may be sent as more than 1 SMS.
Skylar's Tips
Skylar Swantek, sales specialist for Mobile Text Alerts, gave me her tips for organizations that use SMS for alerts:
- Set it up before you need it. Carrier approval can take several business days, so get registered while things are calm, not the week of a storm, event or emergency.
- Write templates in advance. Have your most common alerts drafted and saved so sending one takes seconds when it counts.
What About Emergency Emails and Voicemails?
Similar concepts about what messaging to include in an emergency text message can be applied to an emergency email and/or voicemail.
One difference is that you can include more information within those mediums than you might include in a text message.
However, people are much more likely to see their SMS first before they read your email or listen to your voicemail message.
We would recommend sending SMS, emails, and/or voicemails in conjunction with each other so that people are sure to get the emergency notice. You could even use SMS to instruct people to check their email for more information.
FAQ
How to send an emergency text?
What is an emergency text message system?
How to send an emergency text on iPhone?
How to send an emergency text message in the UK?
How to send an emergency text message test?
How to get emergency text messages?
Author Bio
Sam Pelton is the content director for Mobile Text Alerts, an SMS service that gives businesses an easier way to reach customers and audiences. He has 12 years of experience working with the texting platform in the areas of customer support, quality assurance testing, content creation, copywriting, and marketing strategy. He’s also a father of 7 and loves a good (bad) dad joke. Connect with him on LinkedIn.