You hear sirens. What vehicle springs to mind?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Ambulance? Police car? Fire engine? Ghostbusters? Something else? Or does your brain not fill in a specific vehicle?

I heard some sirens in the distance last night, and had no way to find out what kind of emergency response vehicle was involved. I also realized that my first assumption is almost always that sirens = police car.

When I can determine what’s making the noise, however, it’s not always police. Which just goes to show that I can’t distinguish sirens from each other, if there’s a difference. And maybe that I’ve got a guilty conscience rather than a fascination with fire.

So. You hear sirens. What vehicle springs to mind?

2

I usually see fire trucks but I think of the ambulance taking Vito Corleone home from the hospital in The Godfather.

3

The ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars around here all of slightly different sirens (like the fire truck is a long whiney siren, followed up by two honk-like-sounds).

So I think of whichever it is :slight_smile: .

If I was in an area without a difference, I would probably think it is an ambulance.

4

I know the differences between sirens over here. But any siren that’s mobile gets an automatic call of “Meat Wagon!”

5

Ambulance, followed by the ritual incantation, “someone out there is having a worse day than I am.”

Actually, my siren chant works with police cars and fire trucks, too.

6

Fire engine. There’s a fire station not far from my place.

7

Same here, on both counts.

8

I always think police car, however, living in Ballard, I’m trying to adjust that assumption. My husband says it’s usually ambulances.

I know the fire trucks when I hear them, though, because they usually have that loud “HORNK HORNK!” noise between the siren sound.

9

I think Ambulance because I see them speeding down the road far more than either police or firepeople.

10

To be perfectly honest no particular branch of the emergency services spring to mind. At first I think ‘emergency vehicle’ and moments later I consult my memory to try to figure out which emergency vehicle the siren belongs to. Recently I was at my dad’s house and we heard a siren. Seconds later dad’s wife said ‘ambulance?’ then dad said ‘police car?’ then at the same time me and dad said…

dad:‘fire engine!’
me:‘police car!’

11

Ambulance. I work in a hospital, so hence my assumption.

12

The Argo, of course.

Either that, or Odysseus’s ship.

13

Lashing myself to the mast.

14

Thought I admit, at some times, I think of Elle McPherson and Tara Fitzgerald.

15

Ambulance. I live really near a hospital, though.

16

Well, the fire engines are quite recognizable, so there’s no question there. Whenever I hear a non-fire siren, I assume it’s an ambulance. Although there’s plenty of crime around here, and I see paddywagons all the time. Eh.

17

:Groan:

18

“My ride’s here!” –Robin Williams

19

Our fire engines all seem to prefer mechanical sirens – the type that slowly wind up to a really loud wail, and take forever to wind down when the owner shuts it off. As a result, I can always identify fire engines. Any electronic siren passing by is a police car in my book.

20

At work it’s either fire or ambulance. The two major hospitals are about a mile apart. One of em is next door to my office. Also there’s a nursing home next door that is prone to frequent ambulance visits. There’s a fire station about two blocks south of my office also. Ya get used to it.

At home I think ambulance. I live out in the county and most sirens heard out where I live are ambulance sirens.