As of: February 17, 2024, 7:03 a.m
By: Manuel Rank
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In Bayreuth there is an emergency radio to inform the population in the event of blackouts and emergencies.
How is disaster communication carried out in other Bavarian cities?
Munich – During power outages, authorities often communicate with the population via warning apps.
But what if the outage lasts longer and affects households across the board?
There is now an emergency radio for this in Bayreuth.
According to its own statements, the city is one of the first cities in all of Germany to launch such a communication channel for crises.
Blackout: How do Bavarian cities warn and inform citizens of widespread and long-lasting power outages?
© Bihlmayerfotografie/imago
There is no independent, specialized authority in Germany that is responsible for emergency planning in power outage scenarios.
The federal, state and local governments each implement their own measures - there is no uniform approach.
Cities in Bavaria often rely on warning apps and so-called lighthouses.
But similar to Bayreuth, there are also agreements with broadcasting providers.
Warning systems from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief are also used.
Regensburg: 20 emergency contact points and communication via the NINA warning app
The city administration in Regensburg will not have its own emergency transmitter, as a spokeswoman said upon request.
They rely on the Regensburg radio station and the Upper Palatinate studio of the
Bavarian Radio (BR)
.
According to the information, the city of Regensburg has taken further precautionary measures for emergencies - such as a major power outage.
There are around 20 emergency contact points in the city that citizens can go to if communication via (mobile) phones is no longer possible.
According to the spokeswoman, these contact points also serve as a source of information in the event of blackouts.
There are also so-called disaster protection lighthouses: places that can be set up within a short period of time in the event of a long-lasting power outage and are closely spaced throughout the city.
Citizens can obtain information and make emergency calls at these decentralized contact points equipped with emergency power supplies.
Medical advice and care are also offered there.
According to the spokeswoman, the construction of the lighthouses depends on the expected duration of the power shutdown or blackout.
As long as mobile devices still work during power outages and the battery has not yet run out, the NINA warning app (emergency information and news app from the federal government) and the Cell Broadcast System are added as information channels, according to the spokeswoman.
The population can also be reached through announcements from the fire department or leaflets.
Cell Broadcast
With the Cell Broadcast mobile service, warning messages from authorities can be sent directly to your smartphone.
However, not all cell phones - especially older models - can receive cell broadcast messages.
Further information about Cell Broadcast and whether your mobile phone meets the technical requirements can be found on the website of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.
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Würzburg: “great potential in the radio sector” – around 20 lighthouses
Similar to the city of Bayreuth, the city of Würzburg sees “great potential in the radio sector” in the event of a blackout. The city is therefore in discussions with local radio stations, said a spokesman.
There are currently no plans to set up our own channel.
In order to “equip the core administration and the fire brigade locations in the city as crisis-proof as possible,” new emergency power generators and satellite telephones were purchased.
According to the spokesman, various emergency scenarios are being run through in staff meetings in Würzburg and some are also being practiced in practice.
In recent years, a lot has also been invested in coordinating the relevant departments in addition to the professional fire department: responsibilities have been more clearly defined and the technical equipment has been questioned and supplemented.
As in Regensburg, there are around 20 decentralized contact points in Würzburg where citizens can obtain information.
Munich: scene-based danger announcements and modular federal warning system
In the event of major power outages, the concept of “warning and informing the population” can be used for communication in Munich.
In principle, there are different ways in the state capital to inform citizens if there is a blackout, explained a spokesman for the Munich fire department.
For example, MoWaS (Federal Modular Warning System) is used - with the option of making announcements on radio and television.
(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you daily about all the important stories from Bavaria.)
MoWaS - the modular warning system of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK)
MoWaS is a system developed by the federal government to warn the German population about civil defense situations.
The system is also available for use by countries.
Warning messages are transmitted via satellite and “redundantly wired”.
This means the system is independent of power outages.
In addition to the warning function, messages can also be exchanged between the stations via MoWaS.
The
German Weather Service (DWD)
also transmits warnings of extreme severe weather events to various media via the warning system.
Danger reports are transmitted, among others, by public broadcasters, private broadcasters, news agencies such as
dpa
, telecommunications companies, the
Deutsche Bahn
situation center , warning apps NINA or Katwarn.
Sources: BBK, DWD
The spokesman also said that official hazard warnings are scene-based and are not always the same.
The “Population Protection and Crisis Management” department of the Munich Fire Department therefore subsequently evaluates the measures taken and adapts the processes accordingly in order to learn from crises.
Augsburg: sirens, loudspeakers and lighthouses
The city of Augsburg's warning and information system is based on around 50 high-performance sirens and mobile loudspeakers distributed throughout the city.
There is also the option of warning citizens by telephone, a city spokesman said upon request.
The sirens are triggered centrally by the Office for Fire and Civil Protection.
Depending on the emergency or disaster, individual parts of the city or the entire city area can be warned at the same time.
The siren's one-minute, rising and falling alarm tone encourages the population to pay attention to the official radio announcements.
According to the spokesman, the all-clear is also given by sirens with a continuous tone lasting one minute.
In Augsburg there are also predefined routes on which, if necessary, vehicles with mobile loudspeakers drive and inform citizens with announcements.
The spokesman also said: “For this purpose, agreements have been made with the
ARD
broadcasters, the
Second German Television (ZDF)
and the radio stations connected to the traffic warning service in Bavaria in order to transmit warnings and information via radio and, if necessary, through subtitling on television.” Similar to other Bavarian cities, lighthouses can be set up in Augsburg that are equipped with mobile emergency power generators to ensure emergency supplies in a decentralized manner.
Nuremberg: Lighthouses and information at subway stations – refinement of communication planned
In the event of blackouts, citizens are informed about service objects such as cat lighthouses, care centers or administrative contact points.
In addition, leaflets are created, communicated via loudspeaker announcements, notices are generated and information screens are placed in subway stations and the Frankenzentrum, as a spokesman said.
There is an emergency power supply there.
The spokesman further announced that communication with citizens in emergencies is currently being further refined, and for this purpose “the deeper information needed to be anchored even more firmly among citizens before a crisis situation”.
According to the information, the city of Nuremberg is currently discussing setting up an emergency radio system with the local radio stations that have emergency power supplies.
In an initial conversation with the city of Bayreuth, the Nuremberg Communications Office also discussed how and with whom they would operate their emergency radio if there was an “energy shortage”.
On the website of the
Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK),
citizens can find tips on how to prepare for a power outage.
One piece of advice: Have a battery-operated radio or crank radio on hand so you can listen to messages from authorities in the event of a prolonged power outage.
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