The nationwide warning day this Thursday was announced as a system test for the various warning systems. For some, the warning via cell phone and apps worked, for others it didn’t. As expected, sirens were not heard everywhere. The Interior Ministry drew a positive conclusion.
Hesse also took part in the third nationwide warning day. On Thursday around 11 a.m., the population was warned by, among other things, shrill cell phones and the sound of sirens. The test alarm reached citizens via the Cell Broadcast System and various warning apps such as Nina, HessenWARN or Katwarn. Hessischer Rundfunk also broadcast the warning issued by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in Bonn, which was officially issued at 10:59 a.m.
The warning system “worked well overall and without any major disruptions,” the Interior Ministry said on Thursday afternoon. All Hessian municipalities that currently have sirens successfully took part in the warning day. With a few exceptions, feedback from the 21 Hessian districts and 5 independent cities showed that both the warning apps and the sirens worked. Radio and television also spread the warning information.
All sirens should be up to date by the end of 2024
The warning apps were triggered by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). In Hesse, the Kassel control station started the siren alarm as a central warning point for the entire state. Older analog radio sirens and digital radio sirens that did not yet have the latest software were alerted by the central control centers of the districts and the independent cities. This resulted in some delays. All sirens in Hesse should be converted and updated by the end of 2024.
According to the Interior Ministry, digital radio technology for authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) makes it possible to trigger all sirens in Hesse within one to two seconds. After a software update, the same alarm can also be received by the 65,000 pagers used by fire and disaster control helpers. This is unique in the whole of Germany.
For some Hessians it remained silent
Many hessenschau.de users reported in ours Comment function about whether and how they were warned – or not.
“Via SMS, warning app and sirens: the entire warning chain worked for me,” reported hessenschau.de user Thomas from Langen. User Katharina reported: “The siren went off in Darmstadt at 10:59. Then another one at 11:05 and then again around 11:40. I was informed about the warning day at 11 a.m. via my smartphone.”
User Monika, on the other hand, wrote: “No warning came. App. SMS. Siren. Nothing like that.” User Herbert from Grünberg (Gießen) said: “Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear any active sirens again. With my old cell phone, only Hessen-Warn worked.”
Mobile operator Vodafone drew an initial positive conclusion after the test alarm, which was lifted at around 11:45 a.m. Vodafone broadcast the warning nationwide via the Cell Broadcast system.
According to Vodafone, the test warning was delivered to more than 2,200 mobile phone stations in Hesse. The warning channel “919” was also tested for the first time. According to the mobile operator, this should also reach older cell phone models for the first time. They received a simple text message on the display via the Vodafone network – without sound.
When asked by HR, Deutsche Telekom spoke of a “complete success”. According to a spokesman, there are no error messages from the cell phone stations.
The responsible Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) also wants feedback – so if you would like to provide feedback officially, you can do so here: survey-warntag.de
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