Styria to test more than 1,300 sirens

More than 1,300 sirens in the Austrian state of Styria will be tested on Saturday as part of Austria’s annual civil protection alarm drill, ORF reports. The test will run from noon to 12:45 p.m., alongside a trial of the AT Alert warning system on mobile phones.

The warning signal is a steady tone lasting three minutes, indicating approaching danger. People who hear it should seek information through ORF radio, television or online.

The alarm signal is a one-minute rising and falling wail, telling people to move to protective areas and follow safety instructions. A one-minute steady tone signals that the danger has passed.

Survey results suggest many people do not know what the signals mean. Only 43 percent of respondents knew the meaning of the alarm signal, while 27 percent knew what the all-clear signal meant.

Harald Eitner, head of the disaster protection department in the Styrian state government, said information heard or seen only once a year can be forgotten. He said people tend to focus on information they consider immediately important.

Residents of Styria are due to receive two test alerts on their mobile phones around midday through AT Alert, the public warning system.