10 September: Germany-wide Alert Day

For the first time since reunification, sirens will sound across Germany in a nationwide alarm test using the available warning systems at 11 am on 10 September 2020. The warnings are disseminated via radio, TV broadcasts and social media, for example, as well as using sirens and loudspeaker vans.

The German population is warned of threats such as natural hazards, hazardous weather conditions, accidents at chemical plants, or fires. A warning is also issued in the event of radiological emergencies.

What happens in a radiological emergency?

Emergency preparedness drill

The release of radioactive materials in significantly elevated quantities is considered a radiological emergency that can affect health and the environment. For example, radiological emergencies can be caused by the failure of technical components, human error or even natural disasters.

In the event of a radiological emergency, depending on the type of accident, there will be close collaboration between federal and state authorities, plant operators and/or emergency services in Germany and abroad. Their common goal is to deal with the emergency and to protect the population as effectively as possible from radiological consequences.

In a radiological emergency, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) acts as part of the Federal Radiological Situation Centre (RLZ) to coordinate nationwide environmental measurements, as well as conducting measurements of its own. The BfS uses the measurement results and information about the source of the released radioactivity to draw up a radiological situation report, which serves as the basis for work by the civil protection authorities.

Nationwide Alert Day to be held annually in future

An jedem zweiten Donnerstag im September soll der bundesweite Warntag künftig dazu beitragen, die Akzeptanz und das Wissen um die Warnung der Bevölkerung in Notlagen zu erhöhen und damit deren Selbstschutzfertigkeiten zu stärken. Grundlage ist ein Beschluss der Innenministerkonferenz. Zuständig sind

In future, the Nationwide Alert Day will be held on the second Thursday of September each year with a view to improving acceptance and knowledge of the public warning system in the event of emergencies, thereby bolstering the public's ability to protect themselves. The basis for this is a resolution of the Conference of Interior Ministers. Responsibility lies with:

• the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) at the national level
• the respective interior ministries at the level of the federal states
• the authorities in charge of civil protection (as a rule) at the municipal level.