This Thursday it will be loud again for a minute in Bavaria: From 11 a.m. there will be a test alarm for the population in large parts of the country with sirens, warning apps and SMS notifications. The aim is to test the functionality of the warning system and to warn the population, the Bavarian Interior Ministry announced on Monday in Munich. In addition, an up-and-down howling tone should be heard for one minute, which should prompt the population to turn on their radios and pay attention to announcements in the event of serious threats to public safety.
In addition to the siren signal, other warning devices, such as warning apps and cell broadcast, will also be tested. Cell Broadcast is a mobile phone service that sends warning messages directly to your cell phone or smartphone if you have the function activated. A special app does not need to be installed for this. The Cell Broadcast warning was triggered by the Interior Ministry at around 11 a.m.
The last time there was a warning day in Bavaria was in September 2023, which, according to Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), was satisfactory overall, but not problem-free everywhere. It was said at the time that there were minor problems in some administrative districts. For example, warning apps such as “Nina” and “Katwarn” were sometimes delayed and were not triggered at all in some regions of Bavaria.
The upcoming warning day is also taking place in other federal states. It last existed nationwide last September. The aim of the nationwide campaign introduced in 2020 is to raise people’s awareness of warnings. At the same time, the processes and technical functionality of the various warning devices and systems should be examined. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK), the interior ministries of the federal states and the municipalities carried out the day of action together.