Who takes part in the warning day?
Today at 11 a.m., the federal and state governments triggered their disaster warning systems on a trial basis, and municipalities were also able to participate. Participation in the warning day was voluntary. It may be that municipalities have sirens but do not trigger them - or that there are no sirens nearby.
Who triggers the warning?
This happens centrally, via the federal modular warning system. This is a public warning and communication system for emergencies that primarily relies on data transmission via satellite, but also via cable for security. In addition, municipalities can test their own warning channels.
Why is there a warning day?
To test whether the authorities can reach the population well in an emergency. This may become necessary in the event of natural disasters, if Germany is threatened with a military attack or if the Federal Republic is actually attacked.
In addition, according to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the warning day is intended to increase the population's awareness of warnings. If procedures and warning routes are known, it is easier to react correctly and quickly in an emergency. The warning day occurred for the first time on September 10, 2020. The basis for this was a decision by the Conference of Interior Ministers.
The BBK is conducting surveys on warning days to determine the extent to which this is working. Last year, almost 100 percent of participants were reached via at least one warning channel.
What warning routes are there?
The alarm is distributed via sirens, digital display boards, mobile phone apps, FM broadcast, digital radio and cell broadcast technology. Loudspeaker trucks can also indicate the alarm. Whether that happens is up to the municipalities to decide.
How do I turn off the cell phone alarm?
Warnings of the highest level 1 cannot generally be switched off. The alarm tone continues until the user actively swipes or confirms the message from the display. If you don't want to receive the alarm message at all, you can switch off your cell phone shortly before 11 a.m. or put it in flight mode.
What siren signals are there?
A rising and falling siren wail means a warning. A continuous howling tone signals the end of the test alarm or, in an emergency, that the danger is over.
How does cell broadcasting work?
With cell broadcast, the warning goes to all prepared cell phones in a specific radio cell. This means that tourists and other people with foreign mobile numbers who are currently in Germany can also be reached. According to the BBK, the process is anonymous - unlike sending via SMS, for example; The recipients' mobile phone numbers or other data do not have to be known.
However, some older devices cannot receive cell broadcast messages. The BBK offers an overview of suitable devices on its website.
What's different this year?
This year, all-clear signals were sent out via Cell Broadcast for the first time. According to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), this has been working since the end of November last year.
This year there was also a warning about the digital radio network DAB+. The Automatic Safety Alert is intended to reach listeners even when mobile phones and the Internet are not working - and also switch on radios in standby mode if necessary. The system is scheduled to be rolled out starting this month.
What can people do themselves?
If you want to receive warnings, whether test alarms or in an emergency, the cell phone should be switched on and not in airplane mode. The federal government also recommends keeping the operating system up to date. There are also special warning apps like Nina. It is important to specify a location about which you want to receive information. This can also be information about very local incidents such as fires.
