A test alarm is to make mobile phones and sirens ring, howl and buzz throughout Germany today on the nationwide warning day. The alarm will be triggered for about Warning announced at 11:00 a.m. from the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in Bonn.
Citizens will then receive a warning message on their mobile phones via the Cell Broadcast System. The test alarm will then also be broadcast via radio and television stations and on city information boards.
What you need to know about Warning Day
How does the warning day work?
At around 11 a.m., the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) triggers a test warning via the federal modular warning system. This is sent to so-called warning multipliers.
The warning messages pre-formulated by the authorities are then immediately read out on the radio, played on media sites on the Internet, appear as push notifications on smartphones or on around 7,900 display boards in the city and at train stations. In addition, local disaster control authorities activate their warning systems if necessary – such as sirens or loudspeaker vans.
Anyone who uses warning apps like Nina or Katwarn on his smartphone should also receive a notification about the test warning in this way.
Municipalities can also use warning devices such as loudspeaker trucks and sirens. However, participation in the exercise, which is intended to show how well an alarm works in an emergency, is voluntary for them.
The all-clear is given at around 11.45 a.m. – except via cell broadcast.
What is the warning day for?
The annual warning day is intended to check the warning systems available for emergencies and disasters and to test technical processes. The stress test of the warning systems is intended to reveal weak points. The warning day is also an exercise to familiarize people with the processes involved in official alerts and to raise awareness of the issue.
The importance of warning systems became clear in the summer of 2021 during the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, when people were not informed in time about the impending danger. After that, a broad debate about improvements began.
Among other things, the federal government provided almost 90 million euros to support the expansion of the siren network. In addition, a nationwide system for so-called cell broadcasting was set up. This system sends short SMS messages with official warnings directly to all cell phones that are connected to the mobile network.
However, a nationwide overview of where sirens are available and where there are regional gaps is still missing. In Lower Saxony and Bremen, among other places, many newly purchased sirens will be subjected to a practical test for the first time on this warning day.
What exactly is Cell Broadcast?
The mobile service enables mass warning messages to be sent directly to mobile phones via the mobile network. The service works without an app. The prerequisite is that the respective operating system is up to date, and the mobile phone must be switched on and not in flight mode.
Older devices are sometimes unable to receive cell broadcast messages. The messages are also relatively short and can only convey rudimentary information. Along with warning apps and sirens, cell broadcast is now one of the most widely used and effective warning methods.
Will the effectiveness of the warning day be checked?
Yes, a survey will be launched at the same time as the warning day. Citizens can visit the website www.warntag-umfrage.de Link will open in a new tab share their experiences with the test warning. For example, they will be asked whether the person in question received the test warning via cell broadcast, heard it on the radio or via another channel. The survey ends on September 19. The BBK will evaluate the data and publish a report later.
How have the warning days so far gone?
The first nationwide warning day in September 2020 ended in disaster because the BBK’s central test warning was delayed by 30 minutes. The then head of the authority, Christoph Unger, had to resign and the authority was reorganized.
In 2021, the warning day was cancelled due to the ongoing improvements to the alarm systems following the breakdowns of the previous year and the experience of the flood disaster in the summer.
According to the BBK, on the warning day on December 8, 2022, more than 90 percent of people in Germany were reached via at least one warning channel. The new cell broadcasting system was also tested on a large scale for the first time two years ago and reached 54 percent of people straight away. On the warning day in 2023, this figure was already 72 percent. Overall, 96 percent of people were reached via some channel last year.
Are there any regional peculiarities?
In Berlin, the sirens will remain silent because the technical requirements for the approximately 290 newly installed devices are not fully met, a fire department spokesman said. On the day of the warning, the BBK’s central warning message in Berlin will therefore only be distributed via the Katwarn and Nina warning apps.
The Senate Interior Administration explains that of the total of 411 sirens planned, only around 290 have been installed and not all of them have been approved by the fire department. The delays in installing the sirens are due to delivery bottlenecks and a lack of skilled workers. A complete installation and its financing by the federal government are still unclear. The RBB had previously reported.
The Stuttgart city administration also announced that it would not sound any sirens again. Work is still underway on setting up a city-wide siren infrastructure.
