Warning population / siren signals

Background

Floods and inundations, accidents involving dangerous goods, even major fires with heavy smoke development: Major incidents occur time and again. In the event of such a disaster, the impact on the population can never be ruled out. Almost 20 years ago, the city's emergency services developed their own concept to warn and inform the population in the best possible way in the event of major incidents. There are 28 sirens across the inhabited city area, which emit a rapid wailing sound (one minute) in the event of danger. As soon as the danger has passed, the siren emits a continuous tone lasting one minute.

The warning system in Erlangen is supplemented by mobile loudspeaker systems that can be mounted on emergency vehicles. They will then drive into designated warning districts and provide information there with text or wailing sounds.

Warning apps & cell broadcast - where to find them

The NINA warning app can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play or iTunes store. It sends important warning messages for the selected city or district directly to your cell phone, including weather and flood information and emergency tips.

Cell Broadcast is an anonymous procedure that uses the cell phone's readiness to receive messages in a cell of the mobile network. This means that cell phones located in a potential danger zone can be sent a warning message without the need for prior registration or the provision of personal data.

Further information on this topic can be found at www.erlangen.de/krisenvorsorge. Every month, the city of Erlangen provides information on a specific topic in the series "Precautions for crises and disasters".

Accessible content

There was a test alarm on March 12, 2026. Accessible information on warnings can be found here - on a website of the Bavarian state government