A story for the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger on Monday highlighted shortcomings in the country’s current emergency protocols. 

The head of emergency services in the Val Bavona, Antonio Ciocco, was cited as telling the media the three victims found dead outside a home in the region over the weekend appeared to know nothing about warnings that were issued for the area. 

What form did these warnings take, and why is the current Swiss system now drawing criticism? Here’s what you need to know. 

AlertSwiss: app-based alerts

Alerts of imminent flooding in three Ticino valleys continued to be issued into Tuesday evening, each via the AlertSwiss app,

Introduced in 2018, AlertSwiss is an app that uses the smartphone push notification feature to send detailed instructions to users regarding natural disasters such as flooding and landslides.

Users can customize the app to only send alerts for certain cantons, or combinations thereof. 

The app can also inform users when emergency preparedness drills will be conducted, in order to minimize disruptions. 

All SwissAlert warnings are also logged on the AlertSwiss website. 

READ MORE: New app to alert Swiss residents in case of emergency

Sirens: Thousands across the country

Switzerland also has a network of 7,000 sirens – 5,000 stationary and 2,000 mobile – to warn of impending danger.

These sirens are regularly tested, and the Swiss population receive periodic education on what to do in an emergency. 

Sirens can only be heard over a certain distance however, necessitating a technology-based solution. 

READ MORE: What you need to know about Switzerland’s annual siren test

Broadcast system: too expensive

Unlike most European countries, Switzerland does not use the Cell Broadcast System to warn of disasters. 

This system works similarly to radio broadcasts, sending a text message to all smartphone devices that use cellular towers. 

While this may sound similar to the existing AlertSwiss system, this has a significant advantage over app-based warning systems, as it does not need an active data connection to send messages. 

Switzerland’s neighbours, Germany and Italy, use this system, conducting periodic tests to evaluate its efficiency and coverage. 

According to the Tages-Anzeiger article, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Protection (BABS) has explored implementing the Cell Broadcast System various times over the past decade, before deciding that infrastructure costs were too much. 

READ MORE: Do I have to pay for calling out emergency services in Switzerland?

Current system ‘not enough’

Only two million of the country’s nine million are currently using the AlertSwiss app – and that lack of coverage has drawn ire from politicians. 

FDP National Councillor Maja Riniker has urged the government to employ the Cell Broadcast System since 2021.  

In a motion introduced to the Federal Council, she stated: “The alert provided by this (AlertSwiss) app is simply not enough.” 

“Numerous other countries have successfully introduced the (cell broadcast) system. I don’t understand why we are not moving forward more quickly.” 

Riniker’s motion was passed last year, and the government is currently in the process of developing a new strategy for warning citizens of natural disasters – plans which may include the adoption of the cell broadcast system.  

Constant threats

Natural disasters pose a constant threat to the Swiss population, due to the country’s alpine geography. 

While the number of fatalities has fallen over time, over 1,000 people have died in floods, landslides and balances in Switzerland since 1946. 

Additionally, natural disasters cost the country approximately 306 million Swiss francs each year, according to figures from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).