On September 11, sirens run for one minute with a loud waxing and waning sound. (archive picture)
© dpa
Beeping, howling, ringing: On Warning Day, Berlin and Brandenburg will also be testing how well warning systems really work. For the first time, sirens will be heard again in the capital.
Berliners and Brandenburgers should not be alarmed today when mobile phones ring and sirens wail. On Warning Day, authorities test various warning devices to practise for emergencies. The warning will be launched by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) at around 11 am.
For the first time in more than 30 years, official warning sirens will sound again in the capital. More than 200 of the sirens installed in recent years will be switched on in Berlin, as announced by Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD). At 11 am sharp, a very loud swelling and diminishing sound will be heard for one minute. The all-clear will then be given at 11.45 am with a one-minute continuous tone.
In recent years, the sirens were initially installed mainly on rooftops in the densely populated city centre and at tourist locations. They are "the most important means of warning when people are asleep". By the end of the year, 450 sirens are to be active, with more than 100 to be added over the next two years, mainly in outlying areas. Civil protection includes disaster control in the event of natural disasters and serious accidents in peacetime as well as civil defence in the event of war. Spranger spoke of severe neglect: "We are catching up on something that has not been done for decades." The last of the sirens that used to be common throughout Germany was dismantled in Berlin in 1993 because they were no longer considered necessary.
The security situation has changed, said Spranger, referring to climate change with severe storms, power outages, cyber attacks and the current global situation with a war of aggression in Europe. Spranger emphasised that it was important for Berliners to be as widely informed as possible on the warning day so that not too many people would call the police and fire brigade in excitement. A spokesperson for the fire brigade said that they were prepared and would run a tape announcement for information if necessary.
Disaster control also includes the familiar warning apps, automatic text messages to all mobile phones and announcements on television and radio. 44 so-called disaster control lighthouses are to be contact points for the population in the districts in the event of an emergency - 14 of these are currently operational and a further 4 are ready for use. The closer cooperation with the German Armed Forces is also new and unusual for the capital. In contrast to disaster control, which is the responsibility of the federal states, the federal government is responsible for civil defence in the event of war. Civil defence is then "part of the overall defence", according to the Senate's internal administration.
This involves "securing the ability of Berlin and the Senate to work", providing shelters, medical care and "supporting the armed forces", for example with transport routes for troops in Berlin. The federal government is also to provide the majority of the approximately 630 emergency vehicles that are needed. These are fire engines, specialised vehicles and special medical vehicles, which are to be available for emergencies and special operations as well as exercises.
Friederike von Holtum, the responsible official in the Senate's internal administration, said: "The threat situation is a little different now." Cyber attacks are now "our daily bread". Berlin and Germany need to protect themselves much better, including against possible acts of sabotage against the infrastructure. Spranger and her colleagues appealed to Berliners not to rely solely on the state when it comes to disasters and dangerous situations. "There must be an understanding of personal responsibility among the population. Everyone needs to think about how to inform themselves and how to act."