Germany is employing a tactic of blended warnings
Since the blunder during the caution day in 2020, the corresponding infrastructure is tested annually. This is to ensure that the reaction in case of an emergency is efficiently rehearsed. Once again, it's happening for a test run on Thursday.
How does the caution day progress?
At around 11:00 AM, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) triggers a test warning via the so-called modular warning system of the federation. This is then dispersed to what are known as warning multipliers.
These include operators of warning apps like the Nina app operated by the federal office, as well as aid and rescue services or media, especially television and radio stations. Companies like the railway or operators of digital display and city information boards also belong to this group. They are obligated to broadcast the warnings.
The pre-written warning messages are then immediately relayed on the radio, played on media pages on the internet, appear as push notifications on smartphones, or on around 7,900 display boards in the cityscape and at train stations. Those who have warning apps like Nina or Katwarn installed on their smartphones should also receive a hint about the test warning via this route.
The municipalities and their local disaster protection authorities can also use additional warning means such as loudspeaker vehicles and sirens. The all-clear is expected to come around 11:45 AM on almost all warning channels. However, according to the BBK, no all-clear will be sent via the mobile phone service Cell Broadcast.
What is the purpose of the caution day?
The annual caution day serves to test the warning systems available for emergencies and to test technical processes. The stress test is intended to uncover weaknesses. At the same time, the caution day is an exercise to familiarize people with the procedures in official alarms and to raise awareness of the topic.
The BBK, subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, wants to find out how many people a warning of dangers would reach in a real emergency. An online survey by the BBK after the caution day in September 2023 showed that around 96 percent of people in Germany had learned about the test alarm in one way or another at that time.
Three-quarters of the participants in the survey stated that they had received a warning via Cell Broadcast at that time. Cell Broadcast sends the warning to all prepared mobile phones in a specific radio cell, thus also reaching tourists and other people with foreign mobile phone numbers who are currently in Germany.
What exactly is Cell Broadcast?
The mobile phone service enables the mass distribution of warning messages via the mobile phone network directly to the mobile phone. The service works without an app. The prerequisite is that the respective operating system is up-to-date, and the mobile phone must be switched on and not in flight mode.
Older devices may not be able to receive Cell Broadcast messages. The messages are also relatively short and can only convey rudimentary information. Cell Broadcast is now one of the most powerful and effective warning means alongside warning apps and sirens.
How did the previous caution days go?
The first nationwide caution day in September 2020 ended in disaster because the central test warning of the BBK was delayed by 30 minutes. The then head of the authority, Christoph Unger, had to resign, and the authority was restructured.
In 2021, the caution day was cancelled due to the still ongoing improvements to the alarm systems following the failures of the previous year and the experiences with the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in the summer. At that time, the importance of warning systems became clear when people were not informed about the impending danger in time. A broad debate about improvements began.
On December 8, 2022, the National Caution Day saw more than 90 percent of people in Germany reached via at least one warning channel, according to the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). For the first time on a large scale, the new Cell-Broadcasting system was tested two years ago, reaching 54 percent of people. In 2023, this figure stood at 72 percent.
What's the status of warning facilities and disaster protection?
The nationwide Cell-Broadcasting system has been established. In recent years, many places have seen old sirens upgraded or new modern sirens installed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the devastating floods in the Ahr Valley in 2021 have convinced many decision-makers at federal, state, and local levels that this warning method should also be available for alerting the population in crisis and disaster situations. The federal government has funded the expansion of the siren network with almost 90 million euros.
However, a nationwide overview of where sirens are located and where there are regional gaps is still lacking, as a BBK spokesperson acknowledged. "The densification of siren locations lies in the hands of the municipalities and is supported by the federal and state governments through funding programs," the federal agency said. The process of exchanging the relevant location data between the federal government, states, and municipalities is currently being optimized, so a more accurate dataset can be expected in the future.
In September 2023, the president of the agency, Ralph Tiesler, had expected that there would be a complete and up-to-date picture of functional sirens in Germany by 2024. "The nationwide siren register is scheduled to go online as a platform with up-to-date data during the coming year," he said at the time.
Is the effectiveness of the Caution Day being reviewed?
Absolutely, there's an investigation happening concurrently with Warning Day. Folks are encouraged to share their encounters with the test warning on the website www.warningtag-feedback.co.uk. They can mark down if they got the alert through Cell Broadcast, radio, or some other method. The feedback collection wraps up on September 19. The BBK will delve into the stats and issue a report eventually.
The Commission has reviewed the effectiveness of the caution day annual tests to identify weaknesses and improve emergency preparedness. The results will be analyzed and presented in a report following the feedback collection period, which ends on September 19.
