Sirens are considered a reliable means of warning, especially at night. They will also be heard on the nationwide warning day in 2023.
Berlin The news made headlines around the world: When the Berlin fire department warned a few weeks ago about a dangerous wild animal running loose in the community of Kleinmachnow, southwest of the capital, via “Nina”, the app from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), there was great excitement . It was probably a lioness, it was said.
The search took 37 hours with helicopters, drones and several hundred emergency services. A lioness was not found; the suspected predator was said to have only been a wild boar. Even if there was no sensation, the case shows that warning the population can work in a possible emergency. This wasn’t always reliable.
When the warning systems were tested nationwide for the first time three years ago, a lot went wrong. On the second nationwide warning day in 2022, things worked much better. Now the next test is on September 14th with Warning Day 2023.
Nationwide Warning Day 2023: Warnings start at 11 a.m
The emergency exercise will be started by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) at 11 a.m. The all-clear should be given at around 11.45 a.m. This time, people should be reached as widely as possible with a government warning. All districts and municipalities that take part in the warning day can also decide for themselves whether they want to use their own warning options such as sirens and loudspeaker trucks at the same time as the BBK warning.
How is warning given?
“We rely on the so-called warning agent mix,” says Juliane Seifert, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior. These included the cell phone warning channel Cell Broadcast, warning apps such as “Nina”, warnings on radio and television, sirens, information boards in cities and warnings on platforms and in Deutsche Bahn trains.
The Cell Broadcast warning system is relatively new – what is it exactly?
With this system, a test warning message at the highest warning level is sent to mobile devices in Germany. In contrast to other warning systems such as “Nina” or “Katwarn”, you don’t have to have an app to be alerted. An internet connection is therefore not necessary to receive the text messages. Cell Broadcast works not only on smartphones, but also on conventional cell phones.
Does Cell Broadcast work on every mobile device?
The cell phone or smartphone must be compatible with the system. Google Android, version 11 or later, and Apple iOS, version 16 or later operating systems typically have official alerts enabled. With other software versions and operating systems – if available – the receipt of these messages would usually have to be activated.
Is my personal information protected when using this system?
The service is operated anonymously; you don’t have to register anywhere or provide any personal data. With regard to cell broadcast, digital expert Manuel Atug speaks of “Fire and Forget Message”: The warning message goes out, but no one knows when, how, where and to whom the message will be sent. Accordingly, data protection is not affected at all, says Atug.
>> Read also: Half a year of cell broadcast: 175 warnings in Germany
What do the different warning levels mean?
Warning level 1: If there is an imminent danger, for example from highly toxic gas escaping after an accident at an industrial plant or from a storm surge, then the population in the affected region is alerted.
Warning level 2 means there is a serious danger, for example from branches breaking off or roof tiles flying around in a very strong storm.
Alert level 3 indicates an event that may affect normal daily routine, such as the risk of slippery roads.
Does everyone notice something about the test alarm?
The President of the Civil Protection Authority, Ralph Tiesler, hopes that the upcoming warning day in 2023 will reach at least the same number of people as last year. The goal is to further expand the warning infrastructure.
Each individual warning device should be brought up to the previously only achieved overall rate of 90 percent of people warned. “We ultimately learn something new with every warning day,” says Tiesler. The day was “designed as a stress test to put the warning systems, which run smoothly in everyday life, through their paces.”
Will sirens sound everywhere on Warning Day 2023?
Many sirens are supposed to sound, but exactly which warning devices are used is decided by the local authorities.
Some of the sirens date back to the Second World War. Why are they still necessary today?
Sirens are considered a reliable means of warning, especially at night. Their howling sound wakes people from their sleep when the television, radio and cell phones are turned off. However, in many places, such as Berlin, sirens were dismantled after the end of the Cold War.
What do the siren signals mean?
In the event of a warning, a one-minute rising and falling howling tone is used, and a one-minute continuous tone is used to give the all-clear signal.
Nina, Katwarn and others: Which warning app does the federal government recommend?
The BBK recommends installing the federal emergency information and news app, “Nina” for short. The “Nina” warning app was developed by the BBK and is linked to the so-called modular warning system. This is the federal government’s satellite-based warning system, which distributes warnings from the Federal Office and local warnings from control centers.
“Nina” also receives weather warnings from the German Weather Service and flood warnings. Other warning apps include “Biwapp” (citizen information and warning app), “Katwarn” and various regional warning apps.
What is the purpose of the nationwide warning day in 2023?
According to the BBK, the day is intended to help “increase the public’s acceptance and knowledge of warnings in emergencies and thus strengthen their self-protection skills”. In addition, the technical processes in the event of a warning and the warning devices should be checked for their function and possible weak points. The warning day is a stress test for the systems, says BBK President Tiesler. “It is getting loud.”
When is the warning issued nationwide and when regionally?
According to Tiesler, in an actual civil defense case, i.e. when the population needs to be protected from the effects of war, the warning system should be triggered nationwide. “The federal government is pushing the button here,” he explains. This would then be done through his office, if possible after consultation with the Federal Minister of the Interior. In fact, it’s just a click of the mouse.
In regional cases such as fires or school shootings, local authorities would send out appropriate warnings, said Tiesler. In the case of the suspected danger posed by a free-roaming lioness in Kleinmachnow, a warning was also issued.
More: Interior Minister Faeser in an interview – “It definitely makes sense to have an emergency supply at home”
First published: September 10, 2023, 5:00 p.m. (last updated: September 12, 2023, 10:14 a.m.).