German PMeV Launches Whitepaper on EMS Alert Services Using a Smartphone App

This document describes the tactical, technical and legal requirements for an alarm system for emergency services via smartphone app.

The Federal Association of Professional Mobile Communications (PMeV) recently created the document "Alerting emergency services via smartphone app. Notes and requirements". The whitepaper discusses  the tactical, technical and legal requirements for an alarm system for emergency services via smartphone app.

There are several options for alerting emergency services from the fire brigade, rescue services, civil protection and other user groups, some of which are regulated in technical guidelines and some of which are operated in an unregulated manner using available technology.

In contrast to regulated procedures such as POCSAG and TETRA callout, alerting via an application (app) on a smartphone is currently unregulated. As a result, there are currently no specifications as to what technical and legal aspects need to be observed. Nevertheless, there are a large number of providers of such applications on the market. Both business and private smartphones are used. Tactical, technical and legal requirements for an alarm system

In order to support the evaluation or selection of such an alarm system and, if necessary, the testing of an existing solution, manufacturers, users and specialist planners within the "APP alarm" sub-working group of the Operations working group in the control center department of the Federal Association of Professional Mobile Communications (PMeV) have jointly created the document "Alerting emergency services via smartphone app. Notes and requirements". This document describes the tactical, technical and legal requirements for an alarm system for emergency services via smartphone app. The alarm is usually triggered by a control center. The control center also controls which channels or alarm systems are used to send the alarm - in this case via the smartphone app. The entire chain from the triggering to the notification on the smartphone to the feedback on availability is considered. This is not about the so-called population warning, for which corresponding apps (e.g. Nina, Katwarn etc.) or
other systems (e.g. sirens, cell broadcast etc.) already exist.

The future includes app-based alarms

At present, an alarm is only secure if the alarm terminals are under central control. An example of this is the widely used POCSAG and TETRA pagers, which are configured via central programming stations. The occasionally used GSM pagers are also supplied with data and software updates via central systems. In order to avoid any misconfigurations by users, a uniform use of smartphones as alarm device can only be ensured through central mobile device management. On the other hand, we see app-based alarms as 'the way to go' in the future," explains Manfred Maue, co-author of the PMeV white paper on alarms.

UAG "App Alarming": Users, manufacturers, research and planning

Currently 21 members work together in the UAG "App Alarming" of the PMeV. They represent user organizations, industry, research and specialist planners. Participation in this committee is open to other participants. The objective of the UAG is: to create a white paper to examine the requirements alerting emergency services via smartphone - alarm chain from the alarm being triggered to the alarm on the end device to feedback from the emergency services.

The PMeV white paper on alerting emergency services via smartphone app is published on the PMeV homepage ( in German Language): https://pmev.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WHITE-PAPER_App-Alarmierung_v1_PMeV.pdf