Air-raid sirens, what do you use them for?

Hi..

I was wondering..
I know that several places in the states the air-raid sirens are used for alerting the fire-departments, and as tornado warnings..

But are there any other uses for them?
In places where they are NOT used for calling out the fire-department, are they being tested once in a while, to remind the public of them?

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Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on April 25, 2009 at 9:01pm

We do not use ours anymore for fires, however we do test it once a month to be sure it is working.

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Permalink Reply by Sune Schønnemann on April 25, 2009 at 9:03pm

I'm a bit surprised to hear how often you test them..

Over here, every night it's tested that there a signal/connection between the police HQ and the individual sirens..

We only test them with sound once a year..

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Permalink Reply by Charles Bowles on April 25, 2009 at 10:24pm

No alternative uses where I volly or work, both are two-tone activated. We laugh though because it doesn't really alert anyone who doesn't have a radio, it just lowers the surrounding property values :))

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Permalink Reply by Fire Capt. 1304 on April 25, 2009 at 10:30pm

We use ours for tornado warnings, between 6am and 9pm for calls regardless if it is medical or fire. Our dispatch center also tests them the first saturday of the month between march and I believe october.

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Permalink Reply by paula beckham on May 7, 2009 at 2:29am

we use them here i generally hear the siren before the pager go,s off it may well also be used for rumblings from mt ruapahu but the public wouldent take any notice of it if as its not widly publicised

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Permalink Reply by A.J. on May 7, 2009 at 2:35am

they don't use them in OK anymore for that, I know that they test them once a week in the 'off-season' for tornadoes and other weather hazards, the days vary - near the military installations it is one day of the week, in most metropolitan areas its tested sat 1200-1203, and in Norman OK - they are tested Fridays.

when residing in VA, in the country part where i lived they were used as training drills for the residents for flood notifications... if the back roads were flooded or washed out due to a storm but I only heard it once in the 2 months that I lived there.

Now, my question would be, for those who have maybe inquired a sensitivity to the sonic tones with in the sirens sound due to ear drum injuries, is there anything that anyone else has done to cope with the noises if they cause headaches and lessen the momentary disorientation?

Air-raid sirens, what do you use them for?

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