Today, Switzerland will be alive with
the sound of more than 8,000 sirens as the country carries out its
annual alarm testing.
Siren testing takes place annually on
the first Wednesday of February. Two types of devices will be checked
this afternoon, starting with the general alarm at 1.30pm, followed
in some areas by a water alarm.
Introduced during wartime, they are now
used to alert the population to impending catastrophes, including the
water alarm for people living in the area below dams.
Testing is carried out by the Federal
Civil Protection Office, in coordination with the cantons,
communities and dam operators, the aim being to keep these SFr15,000
($14,200) high tech devices up to scratch.
When hearing a general alarm for real,
people should turn on the radio and listen to the official
instructions about what they should do to protect themselves and
others. On hearing a water alarm, residents should leave the risk
area immediately.
France and Austria each have a network
and carry out testing. But Germany dismantled much of its system
after the end of the Cold War and has left siren usage up to local
authorities. Italy no longer has a network.
The sirens form an important part of
the country’s civil protection programme, which also includes the
provision of underground bunkers – did you know 95 per cent of the
population have access to one?
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