Fire department will display warning messages on Infoscreens in subway stations in Nuremberg

The Integrated Control Center of the Nuremberg Fire Department alerts the public to hazardous situations via various alerting channels such as warning apps and sirens. Now another option is being added: in the future, warning messages go out directly to the population via digital media at locations such as subway stations and shopping centers.

Civil protection alerts for various hazardous situations, such as hazardous substance releases, major fires or extreme weather events, can reach the population via a variety of channels. However, the technical starting point for the alerts is usually the same: the "Modular Warning System of the Federal Government" (MoWaS). "MoWaS activates warning apps, such as NINA and KATWARN or the BIWAPP warning system. There is also automated information to TV and radio stations. In Nuremberg, we also have a functioning system of warning sirens as part of our municipal warning infrastructure, which is used when necessary. I am pleased that we are now adding another way to reach the population," says Mayor Christian Vogel. Since October 2018, MoWaS has been available for the entire control center area of ILS Nuremberg. In addition, weather warnings from the German Weather Service or flood information from authorities can lead to the alerting.

In the future, the 96 info screens from Ströer will also be connected to the MoWaS. Of these Infoscreens, 13 are currently located at or in Nuremberg Central Station, 34 in Nuremberg's subway stations, 36 in the two shopping centers Frankencenter and Plärrermarkt, and a further 13 in restaurants, cinemas and universities. "Information or notices from the police, fire department and authorities should reach the population as quickly as possible and in a targeted manner - also, or above all - in public spaces. We are pleased that we have now been able to create the conditions for this in Nuremberg and that our digital media will now be a useful addition to the city's mix of warning media," says Alexander Stotz, CEO of Ströer Media Deutschland GmbH. "As a long-standing partner of cities, we are making a contribution to an urban communications infrastructure with our digital media."

In the city of Nuremberg, the responsible head of operations at the fire department or the crisis team formed for the specific event decides whether and when to issue a warning to the population. The technical activation of the MoWaS is ultimately carried out by the Nuremberg integrated control center. Supraregional warnings can also be issued directly by higher-level institutions at state and federal level (e.g. Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance - BBK).