Siren test: delays with Alertswiss app
The annual siren test showed that 98 percent of sirens are working properly. However, there were delays in the alerting via the Alertswiss app.
In Switzerland, there are around 7,200 sirens for the general alarm to protect the population; of these, around 5,000 sirens are stationary and around 2,200 sirens are mobile. All stationary sirens are connected to the unified control system Polyalert. Polyalert also serves as the core system for disseminating alarm messages and supplementary information via the Alertswiss channels (Alertswiss app and website).
98 percent work perfectly
During the siren test on February 5, 2020, 98 percent of the stationary sirens tested worked perfectly, according to a statement by the federal government. The cantons and municipalities are now required to repair or replace the defective systems immediately. Since the sirens are tested every year and any defects found are subsequently repaired, the functional reliability can be maintained at a very high level, according to the statement from the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS).
Alerting via Alertswiss must be optimized
For the second time, the nationwide alerting via the digital Alertswiss channels be tested. According to the DDPS, all cantons successfully broadcast an alert. Due to the simultaneously triggered messages of all cantons, there were delays in the transmission to the iOS devices. The app developers would get to the bottom of the cause, writes the DDPS. However, delays were not only experienced by iOS devices.
Source: VBS
