Councillors in Burgas have asked mayor Dimitar Nikolov whether the city is ready for a real air threat or another emergency, and whether residents know what to do when an alarm sounds. In a formal question to the mayor, they ask if there is an up-to-date plan, how many shelters the city has and whether people have been trained.

This story follows our earlier report on the siren test in Burgas region on 1 October. The regional administration said then that the early warning system is checked twice a year.

The councillors, from SEK, said they were prompted by the routine technical check of the National Early Warning and Notification System and the national BG-ALERT test, both held on 1 October. They say working systems are only part of being ready. People must also know what to do when the signal is real and not a test.

"If a citizen hears the siren or gets a message about a real danger but does not know what to do next and where to go, the system does not fully do its job," the councillors say.

Their first question is whether Burgas council has an up-to-date plan for an air threat or another danger in which people must take cover at once or be moved out. The second group of questions covers the city bodies that would take part, and how they work with the interior ministry, the fire safety and civil protection directorate, the defence ministry, the emergency medical centre and other relevant bodies.

The councillors also want to know how many shelters and other places to take cover the city has, what their total capacity is and how many can be used right away. They also ask whether there has been any information campaign or practical training on what to do when an air raid, disaster or other immediate threat is signalled.

The last question is whether the council plans short, clear instructions for each type of warning: where people should go, which places to use for protection and where to follow official information.

The Burgas council website already has rules on what to do when the "Air danger" signal sounds, information on shelters and a register of collective protection facilities. The councillors doubt that this information is up to date and that it has reached people.

They say the security situation in Europe has changed in recent years, and a warning about an air threat, including from a drone, is no longer purely hypothetical. Mayor Dimitar Nikolov has yet to reply.