# You hear sirens. What vehicle springs to mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050 "2005-07-18T21:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/21 "2005-07-19T13:36:26Z")
A Mini Cooper, filled with 3 dozen circus clowns. Actually, I think fire truck. That seems to be the more common one around here, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/22 "2005-07-19T14:35:05Z")
The sirens here are all fairly disctinct between the various emergency services. When I am on call with the Red Cross, I’m particularly attuned to fire truck sirens and wince whenever I hear them, since there is a fair chance that my pager will soon be going off! ---
**Author:** ![Ruckinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@Ruckinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruckinge)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/23 "2005-07-19T14:41:52Z")
Firetruck is slightly different from other ones because of the extra _Honk Honk_. Otherwise I assume it’s the fuzz and I gots to amscray like quick ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/24 "2005-07-19T16:44:18Z")
If it lasts less than a minute, it’s probably a cop. A longer run is an ambulance; there’s a hospital nearby. Several sirens at once is fire trucks. A hugely loud siren with a very slow oscillation is the one atop the school; tornado warning! ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/25 "2005-07-19T17:03:33Z")
I work at a gas station maybe 500 feet from an ambulance dispatcher. Nevertheless, every time I hear a siren, I think, “Uh-oh, the cops are after someone again!” Of course, it’s ALWAYS an ambulance… George ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/26 "2005-07-19T20:42:06Z")
Where I live, I associate sirens with ambulances. I’ve detected a difference between police sirens and fire/ambulance sirens, but not between fire and ambulance sirens. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/27 "2005-07-20T00:40:27Z")
I don’t necessarily think of a specific emergency service vehicle, but I _do_ start singing, “City on fire!” from _Sweeney Todd._ ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/28 "2005-07-20T00:44:24Z")
Always fire engines. But, I’m biased. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/29 "2005-07-20T01:08:04Z")
I always think ambulance, and I’m a lawyer, so then I put on my Nikes and chase it. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050/30 "2005-07-20T08:07:55Z")
> [@Dorjän](#): > > The sirens here are all fairly disctinct between the various emergency services. When I am on call with the Red Cross, I’m particularly attuned to fire truck sirens and wince whenever I hear them, since there is a fair chance that my pager will soon be going off! Heehee! Me too. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-hear-sirens-what-vehicle-springs-to-mind/313050.md?page=1)