faq
It is a stress test for the alarm systems in Germany: Today at 11 a.m., sirens nationwide are supposed to wail, cell phones scream, display boards light up, radio and television provide information. What you need to know about warning day.
The initial situation – numbers and facts
This Thursday at 11 clock A nationwide warning day will take place again. 38,000 sirens are available for the test alarm and also provide information Alert apps, Radio and television stations as well as scarce 6,600 digital scoreboards. At least that is the plan of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK).
A lot went wrong on the first nationwide warning day in 2020. Things went better in the second test on December 8, 2022. With the third warning day, another nationwide test run for the alarm structures in Germany is imminent.
At 11 a.m., the federal and state governments want to trigger their disaster warning systems on a trial basis, and municipalities are also taking part. In practice, nationwide warnings – apart from the test alarm – are the absolute exception. Warnings are usually given locally or regionally, for example about floods or forest fires. Disaster protection is a state matter.
What should the warning day bring?
On the warning day, we will see how people in Germany can be alerted in the event of disasters or the consequences of war. The warning systems available for emergencies and disasters are checked and technical processes tested. At the same time, it is an exercise to familiarize people with the processes involved in alerting authorities and to raise awareness of the topic.
The nationwide warning day is also a lesson from the failure of the flood disaster in the summer of 2021 in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. At that time, people were not informed in time about the impending danger. Many deaths could possibly have been prevented in the Ahr Valley, for example.
In addition to the political reappraisal and resignations of those responsible, a broad debate about improvements also began. Among other things, the federal government supported the expansion of the siren network with almost 90 million euros. After the end of the Cold War, the devices were considered unnecessary in many places and were no longer repaired or even dismantled.
In addition, after the flood disaster, a nationwide system for so-called Cell broadcasting built up. SMS short messages with official warnings are sent directly to all cell phones that are connected to the mobile network.
What exactly happens on warning day?
At around 11 a.m., the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief announced the issue “Modular warning system” the federal government issued a test warning. This is sent to so-called Warning multipliers sent. These are warning app operators such as “Nina” or “Katwarn”, relief and rescue services or media, especially television and radio stations.
In the ARDprogram, for example, the following text should be displayed three times in a row:
Official danger announcement: Today is Warning Day 2023 with a nationwide test warning. There is no danger to the population and no need for action.
The radio program is also interrupted. At 11 a.m. you should therefore hear:
We interrupt the news for an official danger announcement. You will hear a test warning for the nationwide warning day 2023. There is no danger to the population and no need for action.
But companies such as the railways or operators of digital display and city information boards are also included. They are obliged to publish the warnings. The warning messages pre-formulated by the authorities are then immediately read out on the radio, broadcast on media sites on the Internet, and appear as push messages on smartphones or on around 6,600 billboards in the cityscape and at train stations. Here the text reads: “Test warning – nationwide – There is no danger!” The text on the smartphones that are sent as push messages is similar.
Additionally activate local disaster management authorities If necessary, their warning systems – such as sirens or loudspeaker trucks. It is therefore unlikely that all 38,000 sirens nationwide will sound at the same time. “The sirens have to be triggered by the control centers of the municipalities, so someone in the control center has to press the button,” explained BBK boss Ralph Tiesler in an interview with the dpa news agency. This is also the reason why the siren alarm does not come at the same moment as the warning via app or cell broadcast. In the future, all sirens should also be able to be controlled directly from the federal government, but that is still a long way off.
On December 8, 2022, a large exclamation mark and the word “Probation Warning” will light up on the billboards in Berlin Central Station. It should be like this again this Thursday.
When does the test alarm end?
Against 11:45 a.m The BBK wants to send the all-clear via the “modular warning system”. In the ARDprogram, the following text can then be seen three times in succession:
All-clear: Warning Day 2023 is taking place in Germany today with a nationwide test warning for all warning devices. The nationwide trial warning is hereby lifted.
An all-clear message also appears on other channels – except for Cell Broadcast.
How does cell broadcasting work?
Cell service is working without app. Any cell phone user who is in a certain area with their cell phone switched on will receive a text message announced by a sound – provided the device is not too old and the necessary updates have been made. The cell phone must also not be in airplane mode. Depending on the device settings, the warning on this channel comes in German or English.
Cell Broadcast officially went into operation as another warning channel in February. The cell broadcast system with automatic notifications to cell phones was used for the first time on Warning Day 2022; according to the BBK, the coverage rate was around 53 percent.
How did previous warning days go?
The first nationwide warning day in September 2020 ended in disaster because the BBK’s central test warning was delayed by 30 minutes. The head of the authority at the time, Christoph Unger, had to leave and the authority was realigned.
In 2021, the warning day was canceled due to the ongoing improvements to the alarm systems following the breakdowns of the previous year and the experiences with the flood disaster in the summer.
According to the BBK, more than 90 percent of people in Germany were reached via at least one warning channel on the warning day on December 8, 2022.
How will the effectiveness of the warning day be checked this time?
One starts at the same time as the warning day Opinion poll. Anyone who wants can do so on the website www.warntag-umfrage.de share your experiences with the trial warning. For example, the question is asked whether the person concerned received the test warning via cell broadcast, heard it on the radio or via another channel. The survey ends on September 21st. The data and the technical analysis, the evaluation of which is planned for spring 2024, are the basis for preparations for the next warning day September 12, 2024.