State-wide test alarm: That’s why the sirens in NRW wailed this morning

The warning day is a test run of all warning and alarm systems for emergencies. The aim is to prepare the population for a possible crisis or threat and to sensitize them to the corresponding alarm signals and warnings. The citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia are already familiar with the action day, which has taken place annually since 2018. In 2020, for the first time since reunification, there was also a national warning day organized jointly by the federal and state governments.

The nationwide warning day takes place on Thursday, March 9, 2023. At 11 a.m. around 5,600 sirens sound and there are loudspeaker announcements from the warning vehicles. Warnings are distributed via various channels as well as smartphones.

The warning systems are there to warn citizens of serious catastrophes and dangerous situations in which life and limb or property are threatened. These can be extreme natural events such as floods, earthquakes, storms, heat waves. But also emissions of pollutants caused by industrial accidents, radioactive radiation or bomb defusing. Major fires that threaten to spread are also a reason for such a danger report. The sirens are also used if the basic supply systems are interrupted by an incident or hacker attack: electricity, gas, water, Internet or telephone. And of course if Germany is attacked militarily by another country – this also includes cyber attacks – as well as in the case of rampages or terrorist attacks. The alarm also goes off when pathogens – such as the corona virus – spread across the board.

Loudspeaker trucks or fixed sirens are used in all cities. Appropriate warnings are also broadcast on radio and television. In the digital age, a number of other ways have also been added: The danger message is switched via social media, the warning app “Nina” or digital advertising spaces in train stations. Since December 2022 there have also been warnings via the new warning device Cell Broadcast. It works via mobile phones Information is also available on city websites, not only warning citizens, but also recommending how to behave in the given situation to protect themselves and those around them, which also helps the relevant authorities in the security.

The signals are easy to interpret. A rising and falling, lighter and darker howling tone that sounds for one minute means danger, a continuous tone means the all-clear.

The sirens are still the most important warning medium. Smartphones, radio and television are usually switched off at night. The wailing sound of the sirens, however, reaches the citizens even when they are asleep, as do the announcements from the loudspeaker vans. During the Cold War, the Federal Republic of Germany originally established the siren network in the municipalities to warn of air raids. After reunification, many cities kept the system.

There will probably be a one-minute warning that will be replaced a little later by the all-clear signal.

The sirens are primarily intended to draw attention to the fact that there is an acute danger. In an emergency, citizens should then actively obtain information via radio, television, city portals, social media, warning apps or other media and take appropriate recommendations. These can then be tips such as: keep calm, inform neighbors, leave/go to the building, close doors and windows, dial an emergency call. Since it is otherwise only a test run, this is of course not necessary.

If there is a threat to national security or on a national scale, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) is responsible, which also monitors the airspace. The federal states and their interior ministries are responsible for other dangerous situations. When it comes to local or regional incidents, such as fires, the fire brigade must intervene. In the event of an impending threat from a natural event, the German Weather Service or the various flood control centers in the federal states become active.

Vodafone recommends keeping the smartphone’s operating system up to date. Because the reception of the warning signal with the Cell-Broadcast system runs via the smartphone’s operating system. Not all smartphones can receive the signal, only iPhones from iPhone 6S and Android devices from version 11 and up. A Vodafone spokesman says: “It’s always beneficial to have the new software update installed – and this is particularly important for receiving cell broadcast alerts.”

The Federal Office, the interior ministries, the German weather service or the control centers of the rescue service, fire brigade and police can feed warning messages into the so-called modular warning system of the Federal Republic of Germany. The message is then automatically sent via satellite to various press departments, radio stations or warning apps.

The warning day is held twice a year: the nationwide one always takes place in September, the statewide one in March this year.