Public safety

What is a VMA? Sweden's emergency alerts, explained

VMA — Viktigt meddelande till allmänheten, "Important Public Announcement" — is how Swedish authorities warn the public when there is danger. This page explains what the signal means, what you are asked to do, and where to get information if Swedish is not your first language.

If you can hear the alarm right now

Krisinformation.se gives three instructions. Do them in this order.

Go indoors.
Close all windows, doors and, if possible, ventilation.
Listen to Sveriges Radio P4, or check krisinformation.se, for what has happened.

Numbers worth knowing

112Emergency services — life-threatening situations only.
113 13Sweden's information line for ongoing incidents. Krisinformation.se points people who do not speak Swedish here.
P4Sveriges Radio P4 is the broadcast channel used for VMA.

Instructions quoted from Krisinformation.se.

What a VMA actually is

A VMA is the warning Swedish authorities broadcast, in the words of Krisinformation.se, to "alert the public in case of accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services."

It is not a news alert and it is not advertising. A VMA is issued when something is happening that can hurt you, and when you need to know about it immediately in order to act.

The signals, and what each one means

Sweden's outdoor sirens — known to almost everyone by the nickname Hesa Fredrik, "Hoarse Fredrik" — can sound four different patterns. They mean different things.

Important Public Announcement: Signal for 7 seconds, pause for 14 seconds. Go indoors, close windows, doors and ventilation, then listen to P4.
Emergency alarm: Signal for 30 seconds, pause for 15 seconds. Stops after 5 minutes.
Aircraft alarm: Short signals for one minute. Get to the nearest shelter, basement or other protected place immediately.
All clear ("faran över"): One long unbroken signal, 30 seconds. The danger has passed.

Before you panic: check the dateThe sirens are tested four times a year — at 15.00 on the first Monday that is not a public holiday in March, June, September and December. If you hear the signal at exactly 3pm on one of those Mondays, it is a test, not an emergency. On a public holiday the test moves to the following Monday, so a siren on a holiday Monday is not a scheduled test.

How a VMA reaches you

A VMA does not travel on one channel. Krisinformation.se lists several, and you may be reached by any of them:

Radio and television.
SE-Alert — a message straight to your mobile phone.
Krisinformation.se, its app and its social media channels.
Notifications in the Sveriges Radio app (SR Play).
The outdoor warning sirens.

SE-Alert: the warning that needs no app

SE-Alert launched in the summer of 2026. It uses cell broadcast, which sends a message to every compatible phone inside a chosen area at once — it does not use your phone number, and it does not know who you are.

In the words of MCF, the agency responsible for it: "No app or registration is required." It arrives with a loud signal and vibration even if your phone is on silent.

Works on: iPhone 11 or later; Android 12 or later.
You need: An up-to-date smartphone, a mobile network connection, and to be inside the affected area.
Registration: None. No app, no sign-up.

NewsWave is not a replacement for SE-AlertKeep SE-Alert enabled on your phone. It is the fastest official warning channel in Sweden and it reaches you whether or not you have ever heard of us.

The part that is not solved: language

Sweden warns everyone. It does not yet warn everyone in a language they read.

Krisinformation.se states plainly: "Information about IPAs is primarily broadcast in Swedish. This means that information in English will initially be limited."

MCF says the same about SE-Alert: "When SE-Alert is launched in the summer of 2026, messages will be in Swedish. Later in 2026, mobile phones set to other languages will receive the messages in English."

So the official roadmap is Swedish now, English later. If you read neither, the official channels do not currently carry your language at all.

Krisinformation.se is candid about the gap. Its English-language advice page says: "Normally, information will be in Swedish only, but during large-scale events, we strive to publish important messages in English." Its advice to everyone else is to "use online translation tools in order to follow information from the authorities on the web and on social media."

If you do not speak Swedish, Krisinformation.se also directs you to call 113 13 for information.

Denmark: the same idea, called S!RENEN

Denmark has a direct equivalent. S!RENEN is the Danish mobile warning system, run by the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelsen) together with the National Police. Like SE-Alert it uses cell broadcast, so there is nothing to install.

Denmark also keeps physical sirens, tested once a year at noon on the first Wednesday in May.

Where NewsWave fits

We are not an emergency authority and we do not issue alerts. Everything on this page comes from Krisinformation.se and MCF, and they remain the source of truth.

What NewsWave does is narrow: when Swedish authorities publish a VMA, a Krisinformation notice or an SMHI weather warning, we carry it into your feed and translate it into the language you actually read — including languages the official channels do not currently offer.

Use the official channels to be warned. Use NewsWave to understand what the warning said.

What does VMA mean?

VMA stands for Viktigt meddelande till allmänheten — "Important Public Announcement". It is the warning Swedish authorities broadcast during accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.

What should I do when I hear the VMA siren?

Krisinformation.se gives three instructions: go indoors, close all windows, doors and if possible ventilation, and then listen to Sveriges Radio P4 or check krisinformation.se for information about what has happened.

How do I know whether the siren is just a test?

The outdoor sirens are tested four times a year, at 15.00 on the first Monday that is not a public holiday in March, June, September and December. A signal at 3pm on one of those Mondays is a scheduled test. If that Monday is a public holiday the test moves to the next Monday — so a siren on a holiday Monday is not a test.

Do I need an app to receive Swedish emergency alerts?

No. SE-Alert uses cell broadcast and reaches compatible phones in the affected area directly. MCF states that "no app or registration is required." It works on iPhone 11 or later and Android 12 or later.

Are Swedish emergency alerts available in English?

Only partly, and only recently. Krisinformation.se says information about VMAs is "primarily broadcast in Swedish" and that "information in English will initially be limited." MCF says SE-Alert messages launched in Swedish, with English for phones set to other languages arriving later in 2026.

Who do I call if I do not speak Swedish?

Call 113 13, Sweden's information number for ongoing incidents — Krisinformation.se directs non-Swedish speakers there. Call 112 only if the situation is life-threatening.

Does Denmark have a system like VMA?

Yes. S!RENEN is Denmark's mobile warning system, run by the Danish Emergency Management Agency with the National Police. It uses cell broadcast and needs no app, and Denmark's physical sirens are tested each year at noon on the first Wednesday in May.

Sources

Every factual claim on this page comes from these official sources. Checked 2 September 2026.

Emergency alerts, in the language you read

NewsWave carries Swedish VMA, Krisinformation and SMHI warnings into your feed and translates them. It does not replace SE-Alert — keep that switched on.

Get NewsWave for iPhone