Warning system being tested in the municipality

Residents in the municipality of Jönköping can hear short tests of the important public announcement system, also known as "Hesa Fredrik", during March and April. The tests are completely harmless and part of the work to modernize the warning system.

The Civil Defense Agency is currently upgrading the municipality's 90+ important public announcement stations, and adding 29 new ones for better coverage. The updated stations can – in addition to sound signals – also play spoken messages, such as "Detta är ett test" (meaning "This is a test").

During the test period, you can hear short, random signals of just a few seconds. The new transmitters sound a bit more tinny than the older ones, but this is perfectly normal.

The purpose?

To make sure the system works when it's really needed - and that we in Jönköping can be reached quickly and clearly in a crisis. The tests are short, planned and do not mean that anything has happened.

Good to know as a student

Important message to the public is called "Viktigt meddelande till allmänheten" and abbreviated VMA in Swedish.

Right now, it's just tests but if you hear the signal in real life you should always: go inside, close doors/windows and listen to Swedish Radio P4 for more info (applies to all VMA situations).