How sirens integrate into cities

[jgardner48]

:3t22: Hello everybody, I have to do a project where I pick a topic and write why this thing should happen, I chose "How do mass notification systems save lives?" If anyone on the ARS wants to help me, please leave a reply to this thread. Thanks in advance :TBolt:

[Josh_S]

Sirens are just one tool out of many in providing early warnings to many emergency situations. In cities this could be a multitude of things such as severe weather, man-made disasters (nuclear, chemical, etc.), and even attacks on our homeland by others (terrorists). To make this simple, lets focus on severe weather. Sirens have been around for many years, and are very effective in providing a warning minutes before severe weather will strike. In today's world of modern technology a common misconception is that sirens are replaceable. Many say they give a false sense of security because you may not hear them if a storm is coming when you have a phone, TV, or weather radio that will. This is a failure due to people and their ignorance. Sirens are crucial for those who are outside doing things, and not intended for inside use period. Maybe some lawn-work, or playing at a park. People walking around town, anyone who is away from their phone, TV, and weather radio. Older folks who don't have a cell-phone and are out on an afternoon stroll are vulnerable to the unpredictability of nature and what it can throw at you. This is where sirens come in. They give an extra layer of warning to those who need it. Maybe phone lines are down, internet is out. You are too poor to own a cell phone (I fit this one), or TV service (same with this). You're outside just strolling. Sirens, especially modern units with battery backup, are there for you. Alerting you that danger may be near, and to get yourself inside to check out what is going on.
Considering your report is on mass-notification systems don't forget to include the other layers of warning technology. Weather radios are a crucial level to warning layers. Reverse phone opportunities, having a television and the internet, and just some plain old common sense are just as important to an effective mass-notification system.

[EOWS1212man]

You can't stress enough, like Josh said, they are meant for OUTDOOR warning only. Sirens are only a small piece of a mass notification system. For a system to be effective, you need to have more ways to let people know something is going down than just sirens. EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, Reverse 911 and text messaging systems are just as important. EAS and NOAA Weather Radios work very well because of their S.A.M.E. Technology.

[Unit of Civil Defense]

...An older adults perspective.....
Being raised here in the Midwest the sirens represent a level of security that we needed as kids growing up......something that, even to this day, represents a level of security even though more modern ways of communication are more proficient. I can hardly hear the sirens where I live here in the city...even standing outside and I must admit ,even with a multitude of equipment with in the confines of my home (Amateur radio, weather radios, scanners,alert messaging on the cell phones, county pager to name a few) I still miss the roar of the Thunderbolt :TBolt: from the old neighborhood here in town where I grew up as it stood as a Sentry to sound the alarm of a Tornado Warning. Want to really upset a bunch of the over 50 crowd and make them literally fighting mad? ...take down our neighborhood Tornado siren and either don't replace it or move it elsewhere.

[r4tbolts]

I am the over 50 crowd. Agree about get us riled up when the siren comes down. I grew up in a City with many Thunderbolts. I can tell you most people heard them indoors when the Thunderbolts roared to life. Hearing the sirens outdoor vs. indoor is about siren placement and number of sirens a community has. In the 50's sirens were used as mass notification indoors or out. The manufactures of sirens ran published ads waking up a sleeping city to alert for enemy attack. Fire sirens were used to call the Fire Department volunteers at 3 am in the morning sleeping in their house not outside.

It's makes me cringe when every time the excuse they are for outdoor warning only. This line of thought is primarily use to reduce the number of sirens replaced or excuse why you can't hear the Thunderbolt anymore that was replaced by a siren with less sound coverage. It's an excuse some communities use just to place sirens in parks rather than the whole city. So in a sense it should be called selective notification rather than mass notification.

[jgardner48]

So thank you to everyone, I am in the process of writing the essay and I will put the results.