Keystone
Sirens will be tested throughout Switzerland on February 1 at 1:30 p.m. In the canton of Berne, 687 permanently installed and around 350 mobile sirens are to be checked for their functionality as part of the annual test, the government council announced on Monday.
The triggered alarm should last one minute and is a regularly rising and falling howling tone. The mobile sirens are tested on driving routes. They indicate a general alarm.
On the same day from 2.15 p.m. the water alarm is tested near dams. This lasts six minutes and consists of twelve deep continuous tones, according to the canton.
The alarm is also sent digitally via the Alertswiss app. Anyone can install this app on their smartphone.
The alarm is a test and there is no danger to the population. In the event of a siren wailing outside of control, the authorities would give instructions to the population via radio or app.
razw, now
