Water alarm problems
On Wednesday, the annual siren test was conducted throughout Switzerland. The evaluation of the Federal Office for Civil Protection shows that 98% of the sirens for the general alarm worked well. However, problems were encountered with the water alarm.
Around 7,200 sirens sound the general alarm in Switzerland. Of these, about 5,000 sirens are stationary and about 2,200 sirens are mobile. Of the stationary sirens, about 600 are used as combination sirens simultaneously for the general alarm and the water alarm, as the Federal Office for Civil Protection (Babs) writes.
Technical fault
According to Babs, the water alarm could not be triggered in most cantons or only with a delay. The reason for the problems lies in a technical malfunction in the central system for the remote control of the sirens, which occurred from about 13.45. The reason for the malfunction is that the system is not working properly. Everything possible will be done to ensure that the exact cause is clarified in detail by the external operator of the system. Depending on the results of the ongoing analyses and in coordination with the cantonal partners, the necessary measures will then be implemented so that the functionality of the alerting system is fully ensured, according to a Babs statement published on February 8. It is not yet clear whether the siren test for the water alarm will have to be repeated in individual regions.
Alerting directly via app from fall 2018
Complementary to the existing Alerting and information system sirens and radio, the population will in future also be informed of events via the Alertswiss alerted and informed. To this end, the Babs will launch new services on the existing Alertswiss platform next fall together with its partners in civil protection.
(pd/rs)
