Sustainable civil protection for the district of Meißen

How does a crisis communication system look that still works even when infrastructure fails—and not only warns people, but also empowers them to take action in an emergency? With this question in mind, the “KriKom-LK-MEI” project consortium of the Meissen district approached a team of students at HPI d-school. The goal was to develop a concept that makes use of the benefits of modern technology whilst at the same time empowering people to take responsibility for themselves and others in the face of crises.

The district of Meissen is repeatedly affected by floodings of the Elbe River, which can also lead to power outages and supply shortages. Sirens and warning apps do exist, however many people do not know how to respond in an emergency. Although the sirens emit warning signals, they do not enable any communication between the civilian population and the emergency services. Natural disasters are becoming increasingly threatening in light of the climate crisis, yet many people do not feel prepared for crises.

The student team from HPI d-school analyzed existing alert systems and spoke with experts, emergency services, and citizens in the Meissen district.  They discovered that human-centered, sustainable crisis preparedness is the best way to prepare for crises. They were particularly pleased that citizens were very keen on learning to take action themselves. 

The students also wanted to incorporate a product innovation from project partner Hörmann Sirenen in the design of their prototype: a siren that uses smart technology to enable communication between emergency services and civilians.

Based on these findings, the team developed the prototype “Krisenfest,” a playful event for civil protection and disaster control that promotes education and fosters a sense of community for both young and old. At various stations, visitors practice real crisis scenarios with experts. For example, they learn how to interpret the sounds of different sirens correctly and find out which food is useful to have at hand for emergencies. At another station, survivors of crises talk about their personal experience. With the help of a so-called crisis logbook, visitors can document their progress and collect tips.

The “Krisenfest” concept makes crisis preparedness tangible and suitable for everyday use. People learn to take on responsibility and remain calm and capable in emergencies. At the same time, the involvement of the population relieves the burden on the emergency services. “Krisenfest” is a human-centered concept for crisis preparedness, but it also incorporates smart technologies such as Hörmann sirens. The HPI d-school student team is certain that technology can be very helpful in crises, but only if people know how to use it.  

The best part: The district of Meissen further developed the student team's prototype and turned it into the Civil Protection Day, which took place for the first time on Saturday, September 27, 2025 in Glaubitz. Many of the student team's ideas were implemented there. For example, visitors received a crisis logbook and were able to expand their knowledge on sounds of sirens and emergency food stocks at interactive stations. Although the prototype was developed specifically for the district of Meissen, it can also be adapted to other regions to empower people everywhere to prepare for crises.

This case is a good example for the lasting impact the student-led design thinking projects from HPI d-school have. Design thinking incorporates the perspectives of users early on in the development of solutions and generates widespread. In the case of the civil protection day in the district of Meissen, this meant that the population identified with the event concept because their own interests were taken into account from the start. Moreover, they now feel more capable of acting in crises themselves, whilst at the same time benefiting frm technological innovations.