Latvian Rescue Service Chief Concerned That 12% Ignore Cell Broadcast Alerts

Mārtiņš Baltmanis, head of Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), expressed concern on Monday, 9 November, about survey results showing that 11.7% of Latvian residents do not act after receiving a cell broadcast warning because they believe the danger will not affect them personally. Cell broadcast is a system that sends alerts directly to mobile phones to warn the public early about threats. The survey suggests some people do not take the alerts seriously enough, even though they can affect their safety.

What the survey shows

The survey was commissioned by VUGD and carried out by the research company Norstat. In November 2026, 1,004 respondents across Latvia were questioned online. Almost 95% of them have received cell broadcast alerts, and 89.4% have received them several times. More than half, or 51%, take them seriously, but only 9.3% act immediately in line with the instructions, while 41.7% check additional information before acting. Another 24.4% pay attention to the alerts but do not always consider it necessary to act. In Latgale, 33.3% of residents pay attention to the alerts.

The rescue service's explanation

Baltmanis stressed that early warning is a privilege, since many countries have no such system. He cited the 2021 floods in Germany and Belgium, which killed 157 people in total; in Belgium, one of the main conclusions was the absence of an early warning system. In his words, an alert does not need confirmation on social media or in the news, and if a message demands immediate action, searching for more information may waste time needed for self-protection. The cell broadcast is activated according to algorithms drawn up with about 20 institutions that the national civil protection plan tasks with leading response and recovery. For example, the National Armed Forces first verify information about a real threat.

The psychologist's advice

Psychologist Diāna Zande explained that people also ignore warnings because of information overload: if alerts are frequent or of various kinds, the brain stops paying attention to them. She recommends creating a personal routine: pause, read the message carefully, carry out an instruction to act immediately first, and only then look for more information. She also advises preparing a personal action plan and discussing within the family who will contact relatives.

This year, residents of Latgale and Vidzeme received cell broadcast warnings several times about a possible airspace threat. Some drones fell and exploded in Latvia, and one was shot down.