The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Push notifications to alert citizens in case of emergency

app on phone
The push notification will be broadcast simultaneously with the activation of sirens. Keystone

As of today, Swiss residents can opt to receive notifications on their smartphones in case of an emergency like a natural disaster or terrorist attack. 

On Thursday, the government announced that its planned measures to modernise the alarm system –beyond sirens and the radio – are now effective. Residents can download the Alertswiss application to their phones and receive alerts in case of incidents like natural disasters, chemical plant fires, serious rail accidents or a terrorist attack with a “dirty bomb”. 

The Alertswiss app is available free of charge for both Android and iOS operating systems. It can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple store. Information on incidents will also be updated on the AlertswissExternal link website. 

Until now, sirens and radio broadcasts were the main means of communicating emergencies to the population. The push notification will be broadcast simultaneously with the activation of sirens. However, it is also possible to broadcast alerts and information without triggering the sirens. 

“Some people no longer know what to do when the sirens sound. In addition, the hearing impaired are excluded from the current system and need an appropriate alarm and information system,” said a statement from the Federal Office of Civil Protection. 

The sound of sirens

Every year on the first Wednesday in February, authorities test 7,800 sirens across Switzerland. Some 5,000 are mounted on rooftops or poles; the other 2,800 are portable and spread around the country to reach remote areas. Most of the sirens are general alarms, which go up and down in tone. The other type is a water alarm, which has a low tone. These are for people living below dams. The two systems are tested for up to an hour and a half. 

When the real thing happens – in Bern, for example, the general alarm went off in 2007 when the Aare River threatened to overflow its banks – people are advised to switch on a radio for instructions. But with water alarms, those living below dams are urged not to wait but to leave immediately.

More

More

What happens ‘only in Switzerland’?

This content was published on The annual emergency siren sounded in Switzerland is just one of the things that set Switzerland apart. What appears to you to be unique or unusual?

Read more: What happens ‘only in Switzerland’?


 

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Porrentruy swimming pool: the town's mayor was not expecting such controversy

More

Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy

This content was published on The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.

Read more: Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
Trained on the “Alps” supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano, the new LLM marks a milestone in open-source AI and multilingual excellence, according to its developers.

More

Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme

This content was published on This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.

Read more: Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
Zurich cantonal police introduce fixed online police stations

More

Zurich introduces online police station

This content was published on After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.

Read more: Zurich introduces online police station
St. Moritz registers the summer as a brand

More

St Moritz registers ‘summer’ as trademark

This content was published on The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.

Read more: St Moritz registers ‘summer’ as trademark
House prices rose sharply in June

More

Swiss house prices rose sharply in June

This content was published on The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.

Read more: Swiss house prices rose sharply in June
Heavy crowds expected at Swiss airports

More

Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer

This content was published on Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.

Read more: Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR