There are more than 7,000 sirens across the country – and once a year, they’re checked.
There are two basic types of alert – the General Alert, which could mean anything, from rocket attack, earthquake or even a tsumani – yes, they’re possible on lakes.
There’s also another alarm specifically for those who live near dams – for obvious reasons.
The advice is, if you hear an alarm, then switch on the radio, or go to the government information portal ch.ch.
But if you’ve downloaded the Alertswiss app on your phone, that will also provide the information needed.
But if you hear it today between 1.30 and 2pm – you don’t need to do anything.
A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.
Two Annemasse municipal officers have been attacked by a woman this week, in the latest incident to fuel concerns about violence in the cross-border town.