Alerting the future: Switzerland relies on a multi-channel strategy
The Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) has presented its strategy for modernizing alerting and information systems over the next 10 years. In view of the increasing challenges posed by extreme storms and other hazardous situations, Switzerland continues to rely on a versatile multi-channel strategy for alerting the population.
In view of the recent severe weather events, the FOCP is keen to inform the public about the existing and future alerting and event information systems. These include the further development of existing channels such as sirens and Alertswiss, the establishment of emergency meeting points in all cantons and the new introduction of cell broadcasting in order to reach the population quickly and reliably in all situations. Director Michaela Schärer underlined the central role of these systems for civil protection and emphasized that, in addition to the technological infrastructure, the ability to act and the coordination of the emergency services on the ground are crucial to the success of the warning systems.
Bernard Maissen, Director of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), emphasized OFCOM's role in regulating telecommunications and ensuring robust mobile networks for the implementation of the alerting strategy.
Christian Fuchs, Co-Head of Incident Communication at the FOCP, explained the concrete steps of the strategy for further development: this envisages a combination of different channels in order to reach the population quickly and reliably in all situations.
- SirensThe nationwide siren network should be maintained and modernized. Sirens are particularly effective in alerting people at night and also work when communication networks fail.
- AlertswissThe app proved its worth during the recent storms, during which a total of 66 messages were issued, including 10 alerts, 15 warnings and 41 information messages. However, the Alertswiss app and website will be further developed to provide complex and accessible content and achieve a wider reach.
- Radio messages subject to mandatory disseminationRadio messages remain an important channel, especially in the event of Internet service outages.
- Cell BroadcastThe introduction of Cell Broadcast is intended to increase the reach of warnings and alerts by sending short text messages directly to cell phones in a defined area, regardless of whether the Alertswiss app is installed
- Emergency meeting pointsThe FOCP, together with the cantons, is examining the possibility of equipping emergency meeting points with WLAN in order to provide the population with information even in the event of outages.
- Machine-readable formatsThe provision of machine-readable data is intended to enable third parties to integrate information into their own applications.
The introduction of cell broadcasting in particular requires political decisions and additional financial resources. The DDPS will submit a discussion paper to the Federal Council this year so that the fundamental political decisions for the implementation of the strategy can be made. Investment in the modernization of alerting and information systems is a fundamental measure to increase the security of the Swiss population.
Source: FOCP
