Funding pot is empty: Otterfing sends district sirens on hold

Created: 06/12/2022, 07:00

By: Andreas Höger

The municipality wants to distribute a total of six modern sirens to its districts, but came too late with the funding applications (symbol image).

© DPA German Press Agency

War in Europe, stronger storms due to climate change: Germany is upgrading its long-neglected sirens.

Otterfing also wants to distribute six modern sirens to the districts, but initially only upgrades the town hall siren.

Reason: The funding pot is empty.

Otterfing

– In May, the Free State subjected the Bavarian sirens to a stress test.

The result was sobering, including in Otterfing.

As Florian Mang from the municipal building authority reports on request, there were once even sirens in Palnkam, Holzham and Wettlkam.

"But they were dismantled at some point and not replaced," says Mang.

All that remained was the siren on the town hall, also an ancient model that can still be controlled by the rescue control center for fire brigade operations.

Sirens are not only used to alert the fire brigade, but also play an important role in civil protection.

As "civil defense signals" they warn and inform the population when other communication channels (mobile phone network) are overwhelmed or fail.

A one-minute ebb and flow of howls heard three times indicates a hazard, for example;

it could be a dangerous weather condition, an accident at a chemical plant, or a military attack.

If a catastrophe alarm is triggered, a continuous tone is announced, which is briefly interrupted twice and then becomes a continuous tone after a twelve-second pause.

In order to tighten the siren coverage, the Otterfingen municipal council decided in September to redistribute six digital warning systems to the districts.

"Voice announcements are then also possible," says Mang.

In addition to the town hall, sirens are to be installed in Palnkam, Holzham, Bergham, Wettlkam and on the station building.

There have already been commitments from building owners.

Financially, it seemed, the municipality does not have to go to the extreme because the Free State has launched a special support program.

Grants would have covered almost the entire cost (67,000 euros).

"Unfortunately, the funding pot was already exhausted in the fall," says Mang.

The municipal council has now changed the procedure: initially only the town hall siren is digitally upgraded, the other five locations have to be put on hold.

"It could be that the funding pot will be refilled," says Mang, "our applications will definitely remain active."

According to Mang, around 13,000 euros are incurred for the purchase and installation of the new town hall siren.

The plant will be ready for operation in the summer of next year at the earliest.

Among other things, an extra battery should prevent the siren from being silenced in the event of a power failure.

Their functionality is checked on the first Saturday of every month during a test alarm.

The town hall siren no longer howls every time the fire brigade is deployed.

“The active people have their radio signaling receivers for this,” says Mang, who is also the commander of the fire brigade.

The siren only runs during larger operations, when three vehicles have to move out.

Mang estimates the number of such operations at around 15 per year.

Another current civil protection topic from Otterfing can be found here.