On Thursday, sirens and cell phones will also sound in Brandenburg at 11 a.m. “A test warning will be sent out from 11 a.m. The all-clear will then be given at around 11:45 a.m.,” said a statement from the Brandenburg Interior Ministry. During the nationwide warning day, several warning channels will be tested to warn people in Germany of dangers. “The warning channels include radio and television, warning apps such as NINA, city information boards, sirens, loudspeaker vans, Deutsche Bahn information systems and the Cell Broadcast mobile service.”
The warning day has now become a long-standing tradition. It takes place on the second Thursday in September. The city of Frankfurt (Oder) has already announced that it wants to test its 17 siren locations. The warning signal consists of a siren sound lasting around one minute – “rising and falling,” explained a city spokesperson. The all-clear is given with a continuous siren sound lasting one minute. There is no danger for the population and no need for action.
As the mobile phone provider Vodafone announced, cell phones will ring at exactly 11 a.m. on Thursday, even if they are set to silent. At the same time as the sound signal, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) will send a test warning message that will be delivered to people’s smartphones and cell phones via the mobile network operators’ cell phone stations.
“NINA”, “KATWARN” and Cell Broadcast
On Thursday, the BBK will test the warning apps “Nina” and “Katwarn” as well as the mobile service Cell Broadcast, which sends warning messages directly to cell phones or smartphones. According to Vodafone, Cell Broadcast has been in use in Germany for around one and a half years. Since then, the population in affected areas has been warned of around 380 events – including shootings, flood disasters, major fires, pollutant releases, extreme black ice, pathogens in drinking water and bomb disposal.
Last year, Brandenburg’s Ministry of the Interior drew a positive conclusion after the warning day. The test alarm even reached some citizens early at 10:59 a.m. via the cell broadcast system and various warning apps such as “Nina” or “Katwarn”. As announced, no sirens could be heard in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. The sirens had been modernized at the time, the district administration explained.
“The sirens in Brandenburg were triggered at 95 percent,” said a ministry spokesman. The warning apps “Nina” and “Katwarn” “triggered on time or only with a slight delay (less than a minute),” said a statement from the Interior Ministry. “The TV crawler on RBB ran through, and the corresponding warning message was also broadcast on RBB Radio.” However, there were also shortcomings: “For example, in one municipality in Brandenburg the municipal sirens were not triggered.” According to the ministry spokesman, the reason for this was a programming error in the siren control units.
According to the Interior Ministry, the coverage and accessibility of the new Cell Broadcast warning system was 97 percent. Cell Broadcast was also tested in Brandenburg last year for the first time since its introduction in February 2023. The system can be used to specifically warn the population in the respective area via text message.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240910-930-227972/1
This is a message directly from the dpa news channel.
