This year too, the authorities triggered a nationwide test alarm. Around 11 a.m., sirens sounded and smartphones rang. Those responsible expressed their satisfaction. Now it’s the population’s turn.
A test alarm caused cell phones and sirens to ring loudly in Germany on the nationwide warning day. The warning was triggered around 11 a.m. by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in Bonn.
Many citizens received a warning via the cell broadcast system on their cell phones at 10:59 a.m. For others, the cell phone answered a minute later. With cell broadcast, the warning goes to all prepared cell phones in a specific radio cell. This meant that tourists and other people with foreign mobile phone numbers who were currently in Germany were also reached.
The official test warning is displayed on a large digital display at a street intersection. The aim is to reach as many people as possible through various channels.
Anyone who has warning apps such as “Nina” or “Katwarn” installed on their smartphone also received a notification about the trial warning. The test alarm was also distributed via radio and television stations and on city information boards. At the same time, the sirens should also sound in numerous municipalities.
The all-clear came at 11:45 a.m., including in ARD-Program. The following text was shown 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 signal also appeared on other channels – except for Cell Broadcast.
Faeser: “Warning Day was a complete success”
The BBK ruled that the system had passed the “stress test”. “The variety of our warning devices were triggered at the same time, reaching and warning the population,” said BBK President Ralph Tiesler. The aim now is to collect feedback from states, districts and independent cities and evaluate it together with the experience reports from the population.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also drew a positive conclusion: “Our initial evaluations show: the third nationwide warning day was a complete success.” A press conference by her cabinet colleague, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, was interrupted by the loud ringing of the many cell phones in the room.
A spokesman for Deutsche Telekom said the company was “very satisfied with the outcome of today’s nationwide warning day in our networks.” The warning message triggered by the authorities via Cell Broadcast was “recorded without any problems, forwarded and sent via our cell phone stations throughout Germany.”
Reached 90 percent last year
The annual warning day is intended to examine the warning systems available for emergencies and disasters and test technical processes. The BBK, which reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, wants to find out how many people a warning about dangers would reach in an emergency. The BBK will now ask questions via email Online surveyhow many were reached via which warning channel.
According to the Federal Office, more than 90 percent of people in Germany were reached via at least one warning channel during the warning day on December 8, 2022. The new cell broadcasting system was tested on a large scale for the first time last year.
breakdown and Flood disaster ensured improvements
The nationwide first warning day in September 2020 went wrong. The central nationwide test alarm issued by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance was delayed by half an hour. The breakdown and the experiences during the devastating flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2021 led to organizational and technical changes.
Among other things, the federal government supported the expansion of the siren network. After the end of the Cold War, sirens were dismantled or not replaced in many places. Efforts are now being made to increase the number of currently at least around 38,000 sirens nationwide.