Major exercise for emergencies
Sirens and cell broadcast – this is how the warning day ends
Sirens are also checked on the warning day. In Saxony there are still too few.
© Source: Archive
Leipzig. On a nationwide warning day, the federal and state governments want to check their warning devices and technical processes as part of a joint exercise this Thursday. But what actually happens in concrete terms? And why aren’t all municipalities in Saxony taking part in this exercise? The LVZ answers the most important questions.
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How does the warning day work?
On December 8, from 11 a.m., a test warning will be sent to all so-called warning multipliers such as app servers and radio stations that are connected to the federal government’s modular warning system (MoWaS). These multipliers forward the test warning so that it can be received via TV and radio as well as smartphone apps like Nina. The warnings are also distributed on the platforms and in the trains of Deutsche Bahn, on websites, on social media and on digital city display boards. In addition, warning devices available in districts and municipalities, such as sirens and loudspeaker vans, can be triggered at the same time. At 11.45 a.m. the all clear will be broadcast on the same channels. Information on the siren signals in force in Saxony is given leaflet.
What’s new this time?
The cell broadcast method is used for the first time. To test this system, the warning day takes place exceptionally in December. Normally, the major exercise is held annually on the second Thursday in September. The process, which has already proven itself in the USA and Japan, enables warning messages to be distributed to mobile phones in mobile phone cells in potentially dangerous areas without having to install an app. Mobile phone users would have to receive an SMS from their mobile phone provider in advance. A maximum of 30 seconds should elapse from the time the alarm is triggered to the warning message on the end device with information on the source of danger and instructions for action.
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Can anyone receive cell broadcast alerts?
No, for technical reasons not all mobile phones are able to receive these messages. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance has one on its website Overview of compatible devices released. In order to be able to receive cell broadcast messages, the smartphone should also have the latest updates and must not be in flight mode.
Are all municipalities in Saxony participating in the warning day?
It is voluntary for municipalities and districts to test their own warning devices. For this reason, according to information from the Ministry of the Interior, it is possible that local warning devices are not used in all municipalities and cities. In the Free State, however, all ten districts and the three independent cities would participate, it said when asked. However, the Ministry of the Interior does not have a complete catalog of locally available warning devices. In this respect, no conclusive statement can be made as to which of these will probably not be used. Citizens can obtain detailed information from district offices, municipal and city administrations as well as local civil protection authorities.
Why is such a large-scale exercise necessary?
The technical processes in the event of a warning and also the warning devices themselves can be checked in this way in order to identify and eliminate weak points. And of course, it’s also a way to sensitize people to these warnings. The first warning day two years ago already brought the sobering realization that there are too few sirens in Germany and that mobile phone warnings are also needed to warn the population of dangers.
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What were the consequences of the results of the first warning day in 2020?
The federal government has launched a siren support program for 2022. From this, 4.3 million euros were available to the Free State of Saxony. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 292 sirens were built or modernized with this money. More than 3,200 sirens are currently in operation in Saxony to warn the population. But even that is not enough. Saxony has therefore set up its own siren support program with a volume of around 3.2 million euros in the next two years for the next two years in order to further improve the warning options for the population, according to Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU). The aim is to set up up to 300 new sirens. “However, this will not be sufficient for complete coverage of the Free State,” says Schuster. “We are hoping for further siren funding from the federal government, which is planning to provide a further 30 million euros for siren funding in the federal states over the next few years.”
How many sirens are missing in Saxony?
According to the Ministry of the Interior, how many sirens are still necessary depends on the assessment of the districts and independent cities with regard to risk areas and local, topographical or demographic conditions. It was said that only the districts and independent cities could make a final assessment of this. The city of Leipzig, for example, still has no sirens as a warning device in the city area and therefore continues to rely on loudspeaker announcements as a suitable warning device. However, an approximate estimate of the need in the Free State can be derived from the Saxon grant applications submitted for the federal government’s siren program. Saxony had a total of around 4.3 million euros at its disposal, but the applications for grants totaled around twelve million euros.