# Air Raid Sirens **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872 "2003-03-20T19:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/1 "2003-03-20T19:20:38Z")
Do any cities in the US have an Air Raid Siren System? ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/2 "2003-03-20T19:31:32Z")
Usually they’re labeled as “Tornado sirens”, but yes, we’ve quite the extensive system. Something like 181 Whelen electronic sirens were put in all around the city about a year ago or so. Tested every Saturday at noon, as they always were even with the old mechanical CD-issue sirens. These, however, are tested with a steady wail, rather than the cringe-inducing cacophony you heard on TV last night. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/3 "2003-03-20T19:32:04Z")
Anyone living with-in 25 miles of a nuclear power facility have a lod-speaker system capable of delivering sirens for different events. I would assume they could deliver air-raid alerts as well. Thought highly unlikly we would need to use the air-raid aspect of the alarm system. I live with-in that designated 25 miles of a nuke plant, and we all got Potassium iodide pills incase anything horrible were to happen. KI pills protect the thyroid from radiation effects. Nuts huh? Also, on saturdays they sometimes test the system, Woke me up out of a sound sleep once and nearly gave me a heart attack… ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/4 "2003-03-20T19:33:07Z")
Absolutely, and many still test them weekly. When I lived in Chicago (15 years ago), the air raid sirens were tested every Tuesday at 1030 a.m. Of course, the cold war was still on, so maybe they’ve stopped since then. When I lived in Wisconsin in the mid 90’s, I heard them every so often if there was a tornado in the area. I’m sure folks in tornado alley hear them more than they care to. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/5 "2003-03-20T19:33:56Z")
I don’t think any of the warning sirens are still intended for use in the event of air raid … though they might be used to get people’s attention in the event of one, I guess. I used to live near Limerick, PA, and they tested the warning sirens the first Monday of each month. They were to be used in the event of an accident at Limerick Nuclear Power Plant. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/6 "2003-03-20T19:38:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\*I live with-in that designated 25 miles of a nuke plant, and we all got Potassium iodide pills incase anything horrible were to happen. KI pills protect the thyroid from radiation effects. Nuts huh? \*\* Good point. In Wisconsin, we had two nuke plants nearby, and on occasion heard the tests. I never got any pills, though. They did come to the station every month to take grass clippings and readings. Christ, I was part of a _response_ team… where the hell were _my_ pills?!?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/7 "2003-03-20T19:41:25Z")
Las Vegas is eliminating theirs: > **[Las Vegas News | Breaking News & Headlines | Las Vegas Review-Journal](https://www.reviewjournal.com)** > > The Las Vegas Review-Journal is Nevada's most trusted source for local news, Las Vegas sports, business news, gaming news, entertainment news and more. > [@](#): > > O’Brien conducted a study on the sirens last year and recommended their use be discontinued because current technology made them obsolete. The Clark County Public Safety Coordination Team obliged his request in a motion passed in July. > > … > > O’Brien says the electronic news media and the Emergency Broadcast System are much more useful than the sirens when it comes to alerting the public. > > … > > Another major deficiency of the air raid system is that there’s not enough of the sirens spread around the Las Vegas area to alert even half the population. > > … > > The sirens are perched largely atop public buildings such as schools and fire stations and **have never been activated for an actual emergency,** he said. So, while many places still have and need special-purpose warning sirens (for tornadoes or nuke accidents), the cold war air-raid siren is kind of useless. > [@](#): > > “Back then, people understood there was the threat of nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union. But while they were mainly for a nuclear attack, they could be used for any kind of warning.” > > … > > Jim O’Brien, emergency operations manager for the county, said it was the all-purpose nature of the air raid siren that, in part, led to their demise. > > “The problem with just a noisemaker like a siren is that while it says something is wrong, it doesn’t tell you what’s wrong, where it’s wrong, and what you need to do to protect yourself,” O’Brien said. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/8 "2003-03-20T19:41:31Z")
The KI pills came after 9/11. Damn scary stuff, and has even promted my wife and I to consider a move out west. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/9 "2003-03-20T20:03:31Z")
Where I grew up in Larchmont, NY we had a loud burping siren which was used to call up the volunteer fire department. They tested it every day and 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. It was annoying. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/10 "2003-03-20T21:36:19Z")
When I lived in IL (1984-2001), most small towns had a siren in the middle of town somewhere, and larger ones had several spread all over the place. They were tested regularly (usually Tuesday mornings), and used primarily when the National Weather Service issued a tornado _warning_ for somewhere in the county. In some places the sirens were also used to call in the volunteer fire department in the event of a fire (I guess for small depts. that couldn’t afford a pager budget). ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/11 "2003-03-20T21:39:53Z")
Austin, TX no longer does. There was an article in the local paper a year or so ago about a man who owns a house in town with the last remaining siren tower in the back yard, and what he does with it (which I honestly don’t remember what that was). ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/12 "2003-03-20T21:45:02Z")
Baltimore had them until sometime during the last few years. They would sound every Monday at 1 p.m. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/13 "2003-03-20T23:27:46Z")
Indiana towns all have their Civil Defense sirens, which are usually used for tornado warnings and nothing else. In Indiana, these are supposed to double as “air raid” sirens. Of course, by policy, they never drill or test the “air raid” signal, so if it ever were given, people would probably not recognize it in the first place. However, in Indiana, the instinct is to “hear the siren, go to the basement”, so it would be about the same effect. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/14 "2003-03-20T23:31:28Z")
I’m around the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and you can’t go anywhere around here without being in range of a siren. Every month during the summer months they test the sirens, first a constant pitch, then rising and falling. During tornados we only get the constant pitch, so I’ve always assumed the rising and falling would be for something like air raid. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/15 "2003-03-20T23:37:10Z")
Yep. “The second siren sound is a warbling sound and it is used for other types of emergencies. The warning is advising you to turn on your radio or television to an emergency broadcast network for further information regarding this emergency. It may be used for a civil defense emergency, evacuation emergency or hazardous material incident in the community.” ---
**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/16 "2003-03-20T23:37:53Z")
In St. Louis the civil defense sirens are tested at 11:00 a.m. on the first Monday of every month. People still call them “air raid sirens”, but then, St. Francis Xavier Church, on the campus of St. Louis University is still called “The College Church” (and is listed as such in phone directories) even though St. Louis College changed its name to St. Louis University over 150 years ago. In recent months an announcement has been broadcast via loudspeaker assuring people that it is only a test. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/17 "2003-03-20T23:44:30Z")
The state of Hawaii has one and tests it monthly at noon on the first workday of the month. Although I don’t think they’ve actually warned of an air raid since WWII. We do use it to warn of weather and other environmental disasters. For instance it woke me up in ~1995 for a tsunami threat. That was the only time I can remember it being used for anything other a test in my life. The reason we keep testing the system is due to the fact that on this island is located Pearl Harbor, Kaneohe MCAS, Schofield Barracks and many other important Pacific bases. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/18 "2003-03-21T00:41:44Z")
They’re all over the place here, and tested at noon on Saturdays. They’re used pretty often in summertime when a tornado warning is announced; the sound of the siren breaking through the roar of a big storm gives me chills. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/19 "2003-03-21T00:56:29Z")
They’ve got 'em in San Francisco. Tested I think first Tuesday of each month about noon. Certainly not for tornadoes and I don’t know that an “earthquake siren” makes any sense but we have 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872/20 "2003-03-21T01:29:53Z")
Actually, **appletreats** , they test the sirens every month (first Wednesday of the month, 1 p.m.)–you might not hear them if your windows are closed. The town I lived in when I was in high school tests their sirens _every day_ at 6:30 p.m. (and they also do the monthly test stated above). They also still blow the sirens if there is a fire in town. (A holdover from the pre-pager days?) Minnesota also has tornado drill days–in April and September, I think. They blow the sirens then, too. In high school, they’d file the entire student body into this large room in the basement of the school. The school was built in 1968, and it was only recently that I realized that that room was probably also meant to be the school’s _fallout shelter_. :eek: It was also used as an archery range for P.E. classes. I’m waiting for April 2nd…some fool’s going to hear the sirens at 1 and seal himself off with duct tape and plastic and suffocate. We’ve already had a [rotten potato](http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3764278.html) shut down a local emergency room for a few hours. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-raid-sirens/162872.md?page=2)