In France, the alarm is tested the first Wednesday of the month at noon (when I was a kid we used to use it to check if our schools’ clocks were on time 😂).
So basically if you to invade most european countries, do it during the first week of the month, at noon...? 🤔 @@UserName92149 I think they've reduced it to being once per semester now because I hear it less often. But mostly I guess it's to be 100% sure it's working the way it should. And yeah I used to live right next to one of those, it is a liiiiiiiittle bit noisy. 😂
Netherlands is also a hearing test. We use multiple frequencies. Some will make vibrations that deaf people can notice. We also use push message on GSM network and others.
Similar with the phone thing in Norway. Introduced a couple years ago - the system will force a pop-up on every cell phone. AFAIK it will pop-up even without a SIM card - will work as long as the phone is powered on. They test this system every year at noon on a given date - along with the sirens.
Because it has multiple frequencies it cannot be confused with a distant train, boat or truck horn, and it carries very far. The smartphone alert is identical to the US one, and scares the hell out of you during lunch break in the office restaurant on the first monday of the month at noon! Everyone jumps up!
same here in Austria. We got a Textmessage and hear the Alarm all 3months on porpuse for Testing. Takes a whole Hour with 15min delay for Airraid, Atomicalert, Chemicalaler and the last on is for Alert is over In fact the Alert you hear in this Vid is the Airraid alert ^^ Sounds much more Powerfull in Reallife ;)
The one thing they really need to change about the message on the phone is the ability to switch off the sound (after it started), but the message remains. The sound is so annoying I switch it off as soon as I can, but that means I don't have time to read the message. (Sure, you can search for it, but it should be easy)
The US and other non-European ones are weird because it's clearly electronic. All the European ones are either analogue (literally someone spinning a handle and releasing briefly for the dip to let the spinning cylinder drop RPM for the downward oscillation) or are electronic recreations of that exact one. You can find the devices by looking up "Handkurbel Sirene" for example, though many rural fire stations and the like literally just have a standing one installed. Makes perfect sense since you want to be able to communicate there is an emergency particularly when power is cut ... due to an emergency.
It still imitates the sound of a non-electronic siren so the messaging to the people remains the same whether electronic means are available or not, at least. That's the main point, unlike the Finnish one, for example.
@@msytbFinnish was wrong. It's also a hand crank imitation nowadays. But we have some kind of speakers now as it also says provalarm in swedish. I haven't heard it in ten years while I was living in Helsinki center. Weird that Helsinki doesn't have working alarms and countryside does. I even complained that I haven't heard it in years and they didn't even respond to me.
Many of the European ones are recorded old WWII Air Raid sirens that were retained and used during the cold war, today as incoming ballistic missile warning. Mounted on towers at police and fire stations. Also used in UK and Ireland to call retained (part time) fire crews to duty as electronic cell/mobile phone communications not 100% reliable.
The German one sounded like a very new siren. We also still have the very old air raid siren ones all over, especially the countryside. The continuous up and down is the EAS sinal and also means "turn on your radio / TV and wait for further information". 3 times 15s continuous tone is fire alarm alerting the voluntary firefighters to report to the fire station at once. 1 time 15s continuous is test alarm. Used to be done on the first saturday each month, but haven't heared in a while, so maybe they're not doing that any more... 1 min continuous is the all clear signal. They have been establishing alternative ways of warning the public by "KatWarn" , a system that sends a signal to all mobile phones in the region to set off an according alatm. Those systems are tested all together on nation wide "warning days". On that day at the specified time all hell breaks loose when all mobile phones, sirens alarms and whatever go off simultaneously! 😆
To be clear. National siren signals are only: 1 minute constant tone : All clear. 1 minute "howl" (constantly rising and falling) tone: Warning! Switch on Radio/TV/etc. and be prepared for further information. There are more local signals. The "fire signal" varies from 3x 12s with 2x12s pause to 3x 15s with 2x7s pause. For instance in bavaria the fire signal is the 12 variant and sirens are mostly tested every Saturday morning with the signal "Fire Alarm" ... Also KatWarn ist not the main Warning App. KatWarn is only an addition. The official warning app is "NiNA" provided by BBK (Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe / Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance).
In the Netherlands the EAS gets tested on the first Monday of the month at Noon. if you happen to be in between cities (especially in a polder) you can hear them from multiple cities at once
The moment to watch the Big Brother livestream the first time it happens: when the Belgians get surprised. Because somehow, the contestants don't know, and haven't seen it.
So "CQ" in morse code? Do these letters have a special meaning? I'm thinking "CQ" sounds like the beginning of "security" in English, but not sure if that's accurate.
@@Findalfen CQ would stand for "Come Quick" and was used as an emergency signal. No idea if that's what Finland ment, but yeah. CQD (Come Quick Danger) was another variant, and this one was used by the Titanic during their mayday messages. After the Titanic's sinking, SOS became the international standard.
With the first examples (like Austria) you hear at least two different alarms here: the solid tone is either pre-alarm (minimum 3 minutes) or the all-clear-alarm (1 minute). The actual alarm is the wailing tone (minimum 1 minute). The sirens are old style mechanical and could be activated even with a hand crank.
As a Ukrainian, many things are scary for me. But still, the ukrainian eas alarms one scares the most because she plays on the streets every day because of the war ( I'm sorry if I didn't write correctly, I used a translator)☺️
I find it crazy, but I caught myself on the thought I am not afraid of this alarm anymore. It's even became some kind of a sick and unnerving lullaby. I've got used to it so much, it is even strange to go to sleep without hearing it. The sound of explosions on the other hand... that is a bit more impactful, if I dare say so. Crazy times we live on...
Fun fact, idk about ALL European countries, but at least here in Portugal, especially in smaller towns, you hear those when the fire station received a call and needs extra personal (since unfortunately in villages you only have volunteers' fire stations). It's creepy but I've grown so used to them by now haha, i hear them at least once a month. No matter the time, it will echo throughout the whole town. Kinda spooky if you're walking late at night on the empty streets. And yeah, is pretty loud just like you saw 😂 Edit: depending on the number of spins, you also can know what's going on, if fire, if car accident, etc.
In Croatia volonteer firefiters have an app on their phones that starts wailing, then you have to ether press that you are available or not. That way they also get the info of if there are enough people available or not. If they need to alert the volunteers a town over.
Yeah as far as i know, they have something like that here too, or so i heard a few years back. But maybe just to be safe they still ring the siren - I've had a few family members who were volunteer firefighters, including my dad, i remember back in the day they also had a pager, but still would ring the siren @@LilliD3
@@HrLBolle Not exact. The radio operators alternately used the then common "CQD" which is like "CQ" - "to everybody" and "D" for "distress" (emergency call) as well as the new "SOS".
@@rome0610 Thanks to our Friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs I am aware that Senior operator Jack Phillips alongside his junior operator Harold Bride, both employees of the Marconi Company, or to be more precise the maritime department of it, used "CQD" followed by the newly adopted "SOS" to inform any vessel within reach of their situation and after that to update the rescuers on the situation right to last ounce of steam supplied to the auxiliary Dynamo installation aboard the doomed RMS TITANIC.
Our alarm (Sweden) is called Hesa Fredrik. And is tested on the first non-holiday Monday in the last month of the quarter (March, June, September, December) at 3:00 p.m.
As a Norwegian, I can definitely confirm that is how the Norwegian EAS alarm sounds like, and different signals mean different things - although we recently added digital EASes to smartphones as well.
@@JoriDiculous Not really - I've lived in both urban and really rural places, and I've always heard them when they're tested. Of course they're placed strategically in areas where a lot of people live, as well as around areas that are otherwise vulnerable to or natural targets for an enemy attack. This means that it's actually opposite - very many people _can_ hear them. Yes, there are a substantial number of people outside of hearing distance to these alarms, but WAAAAAAAAY more people can hear them. Besides, with Norway having adopted an electronic EAS, its reach has substantially improved to virtually everyone in Norway.
the french alarm is about 105db, this alarm is tested the first Wednesday of the month at 12 o'clock and as a french I think it's a pretty cripy sound lol
@@UserName92149 I confirm every month the first Wednesday between 11:45 and 12:15. No one panics because we are used to it since childhood. There are also fire evacuation exercises in schools several times a year
@@UserName92149 Sweden also tests every month. First monday 15:00. I guess that makes everyone familiar with it since you don't hear it very often otherwise. I heard it once in 45 years when some clever guy managed to flip an entire tanker on a heaviliy trafficked road in a densely populated area (Valhallavägen).
We used to call firefighters on duty, it happened one time to listen and I freaked out, first because i didn't know that in my country (village, not state) use that, second is an air raid siren, if you listen that you know that you are f...
Just imagine living in a small german village, having one of those sirens installed on your house. In the village my mom lives in, the sirens got changed. The old GDR E57 got switched to a new one, even louder... When I walked past that one, it went off for a traffic accident on the Autobahn (it's a volunteer fire department in this village) And if you wonder "What's a E57 sounding like?", Romania sounds like they still have them... Poland sounds like an air raid siren straight out of WW2... 9:12 - the canadian one got me - Here in Austria a new system got tested - called "AT Alert" and all phones at work went off with that sound at the same time... Australia sounds like a fire alarm at the airport got triggered... Heard that one years ago in Leipzig, Germany - gladly it was a malfunction and everything was okay a few minutes later after the system was reset all the scandinavian ones sound like a train or ship horn going off non-stop
The Dutch system is scheduled to be decommissioned but lots of people have spoken up against that. There now is an alternative system that works via the mobile phone network, the advantage is that it can send a text message detailing what the issue is. Also, it is more likely that it is noticed when you are indoors or in rural areas. But of course it requires a mobile phone to even notice it.
THe phasing out of the EAS is shelved indefinitely because of these protests. That, and the mobile phone system, even though it's been in used for over a decade still doesn't function as it should.
The Finnish one was the sound people hear when there's some public safety announcement on radio or TV. It's a text, which runs on the screen. The alarms are tested on every first Monday of month at noon, so you can check your watch then. The sound differs a bit depending on each siren. Here are couple of examples: "Siren test 3.5.2021 - City center of Lappeenranta, Finland", "Siren test in Espoo, Finland - Teho-Ulvo D1200 - 7.7.2014", "Hörmann F71 pneumatic siren test in Turku, Finland 3.7.2023" and "Old Teho-Ulvo siren tested in Lahti, Finland - Väestöhälyttimen kokeilu".
in Czechia, we test every wednesday (edit: I wanted to say first wednesday in month), tourists are always very confused by that, I thought they test it in all countries, but they obviously don't 😀 we started testing it properly after 2002 floods
@@arnaudlevoyageurhorrifique I meant first wednesday in month ofcourse, I was somehow confused when I was typing it. 😀 They test it because in 2002, half of them didn't work and it was a problem in time when not everyone had mobily phone.
In Austria we have short siren tests every Saturday at noon (12 a.m.). And once a year whats called Zivilschutz Probealarm (= civil protection alarm test) where all types of different emergency sounds are tested and sirens are deeper montiored and inspected. And this year there was also for the first time the nationwide phone alert too... where we get this alert notification on our phones.
regarding the austrian alert. there are three different patterns, designated to different threat levels and one of them to signal that the alert has ended. if that thing is blaring for 3 minutes straight, it's a problem if that thing is going up and down. sh't is about to happen. 1 minute: no more danger.
@@Moonchild0 i think its actually every first saturday. at least for Niederösterreich, but definitely not in Vienna. I live in Vienna close to the border to Niederösterreich and i hear the EAS blaring every first saturday.
If you decide to travel to Europe one time and want to hear that air alarm signal for your self, visit the Netherlands around the first Monday of the month, as they are tested on noon that day...
We hear the Dutch alarm every month during the test, on the first Monday of the month, at 12 o'clock noon for one minute and 26 seconds! 😎 And it's super funny when there are foreigners here at that moment, because they think WW3 has started! 🤣✌🏼
The Norwegian and Swedish ones are essentially the same system. It's Kockum Sonics "Tyfon" pneumatic air horns. The main difference is the Norwegian ones are usually mounted with three horns in the same spot, whereas the Swedish ones are usually just one horn (although there are sometimes two horns in one spot), hence the sound is a bit different/stronger on the Norwegian one. There is also an electronic version of the system starting to replace the pneumatic horns in Sweden, which can play messages as well. The electronic ones are easy to tell apart from the OG pneumatic horns: The pneumatic horns are just that, air horns mounted on a pole, whereas the electronic version has an air horn with a silver-coloured "ball"/"sphere" on the back end of it.
Many of those sirens go back to WWII air raid sirens. In Germany we have a mixture that can range from original ones or just after the war, to new electronic horn speakers which can in theory also be used for like announcements in an emergency situation. We abandoned a siren alarm system in the nineties, just to scramble to rebuild one in the last Years, as until late we also did not have cell broadcast implemented. Today we have a modular system with sirens, cell broadcast, radio and TV stations as well as electronic billboards being integrated. Oh, and the today unavoidable apps of course.
In germany after abandoning sirens in the nineties we scrambled to reestablish a system in the last years. Today we have a mix from same type as wwii air raid sirens (i think austria and others use similar models or the sound is somewhat similar ro rjat, although often it is changed as the original sound gave older people who still knew air raid sirens almost a heart attack) up to electronic horn speakers that can be used for announcements as well. Add to that messages through tv and radio stations, electronic bilboards, cell broadcast (just implemented over the last years) From my childhood i remeber sirens were tested every first saturday in the month at exactly noon. Today they are monitored and we usually have what they call a "Warntag" once a year. There are typically two or three signals, one alarm signal with the siren ramping up and slowing down in a fixed intervall. I think three times for thirty seconds continuous tone is not everywhere and may be used to alert volunteer firefighters. A continuous one monute tone ends the alarm. For tests it is played ahead of the test as well to announce the following alarm as a test. In the oast we had multiple alarms, like a separate one what was called "ABC Alarm". Today there is only one that tells you to switch on your radio or look into an app like NINA that will also show you alarms and warnings, wven for thise where sirens are not used. When it comes ro weather or smaller incidents involving for example smoke those usually are only on the app. If they sound the sirens, the shit indeed has hit rhe fan big time. The one from the UK indeed sounds exactly like a Cellbroadcast alarm from any mobile phone.
Idk but here in South Bavaria we have a Alarm Test with Phone warning every first Saturday on each Month and they actually do sound like the old Sirens kinda like the ones we heared from Ukraine.
@@Numira Northrhine -Westfala seems not to have monthly public tests any more. On the Phone you might be using either the Nina or Katwarn ab, at least one of those sounds like an actual Siren. The newly established Cell Broadcast messages (as it was not needed or requested the cellphone providers did not implement it since, can´t even tell when) sound exactly like the UK sirens from the video, or what Ian called an amber alert (got those in the US as well) which is actually a cell broadcast message. Not sure if it is some sort of standardized sound for those message types or if there is some kind of a silent agreement between all vendors, as it seems indeed all cellphones, Apple, google, Motorola. OnePlus,... play the same sounds for that.
In Denmark we test these the first Wednesday of May every year. For a second you think the country is getting attacked, but then you remember the date😂
They did yearly testing for a while in the Netherlands as well, but it was considered too disruptive because people would tend to forget it was that time of year again. So they switched back to testing every first monday of the month.
In sweden they are tested on first monday of every third month at 15:00 (march, june, september and december). There are different signals to keep track of, but only the "VMA" (Viktigt Meddelande för Allmänheten, or "Important message to the public") signal are tested. The signal is colloquially called "Hesa Fredrik" (hoarse Fredrik)
I'd argue that sweeping frequencies are the best as it has the best chance for elderly and/or people with impaired hearing. A fixed frequency can be totally missed by some people. Also depending on where they are and background noise from machinery or otherwise.
This is exactly what the Dutch EAS signal does, and for that specific reason. The rising frequencies ensure even the elderly who have lost most of their hearing will pick it up.
I couldn't bear watching the whole video, but skipped through it to find the Dutch one, especially after hearing most of the others were one solid tone. Your reaction was perfect! It gets even more impressive when you live between two towers that aren't entirely in sync, and hear a mix of frequencies and durations.
I don't know if you know music, but the Dutch one basically slides up and down one octave while climbing the scale at the start of each slide. After it reaches that highest note it repeats from the beginning of the cycle.
In the UK we do not completely have sirens everywhere we basically use radio and TV announcements and just recently got the phone warning, In some places mainly military towns there are air raid sirens from WW1 & WW2 they get used and tested frequently.
Here in the UK we had a test of the EAS alert last year, but on my phone network (Three) for some reason no users received it, so we went about our daily business without a care in the world. Maybe that's the best way to deal with these emergency warnings.
Aye, iv never seen or heard and EAS here in England. Not even certain we have a real way of getting it across. I think they rely to heavily on TV, which most people i know, myself included, don't watch or even have a tv these days given everything's on the computer now
There are basically 2 types of those srens: the old mechanical type, thats known since WW2, and the modern electronical generated sounds. Here in Germany we used to have mechanical ones up to some years ago,. Since, many have ben exchanged for electronic ones - the kind of sound was mostly kept, though. And there are a number of different modes (continous, interrupted) with different meanings. Of course the electronical ones are much more flexible in what the sound can be and even can contain vocal warnings. Like in Japan. The old ones (Austria, Ukraine) are basically wheels with holes that are spun by a electric motor. So the sound they can make is pretty limited. But they are very loud, neverthelss. That depends also how far away it is, of course.
The Netherlands will also test them every first monday of the month, with a few very rare exeptions. And sometimes locations will not go off so it is a good thing to test it. They will send phone alerts, and sometimes use the alarm as well locally when there is a big fire nearby depending on the situation
Can confirm the Australian one. Have heard it played before cyclone (Hurricane) alerts while living in Cairns, and when bushfires are about to arrive in Sydney.
fun fact: our sirens in austria get tested every saturday exactly at 12/noon to see if everything works fine. Also fire departments use the same alarm when the firefighters are needed/there's a fire/accident etc where the firefighters are in need. We are used to hearing that alarm at least once a week
...and once in a quater of a year the whole "procedure" will be testet: the weekly test pattern, pre-alarm, alarm, all-clear, electronic devices like pager included.
The weirdest of all is still the Chicago Tornado Siren. The "alternate wail" is probanly the eeriest sound an american federal siren can produce. It is so creepy that it was used for Siren Head, a monster in a Fallout 4 Mod.
I'm a Swede that have our official emergency response app (SOS Alarm 112) on my phone. It has the most notable sound that I ever heard. A problem is that it doesn't alert about war or bombings. It does however force you to change underwear if there's a traffic accident in your area. Some adjustments regarding the sound and actual danger would be nice.
Du kan fixa det i inställningarna! Om du öppnar appen och klickar på "mer" i menyn så kan du välja att ställa den på "notis alarm" (den läskiga), "notis på" (skickar en vanlig pushnotis med liknande ljud som sms) eller "notis av" (inga notiser). Jag håller med om att den är skitläskig.
In Bulgaria you heard them on 2 June every year for tribute , But also you hear them extra one time a year when they test them , and then you actually hear the 4 different tones for different warnings + voice. There was incident few years back in a city where instead of the tone for the tribute they played the one for air attack and people panicked. Also since last year they have been testing national wide phone alerts , so that will be added at some point as well.
recorded the last test alarm we had in germany, have it here on my YT. there are entire channels dedicated just to the sirens failing. how they sound may appear differently depending on their age and type, sometimes weather conditions or if they got dirty over time, and the terrain that might reflect sound. different types are used to cover different distances. inner city sirens may be different than those on the wide open lands.
Finland uses the Morse code CQ. CQ is a station code used by wireless operators derived from long established telegraphic practice on undersea cables and landlines, particularly used by those communicating in Morse code, but also by voice operators, to make a general call (called a CQ call). Transmitting the letters CQ on a particular radio frequency means that the transmission is a broadcast or "General Call" to anyone listening, and when the operator sends "K" or says "Go Ahead" it is an invitation for any licensed radio station listening on that frequency to respond.
The Greek one is from military exercises done 2-3 times per year. The siren starts and holds tone for the duration of the alarm (usually 1-2 minutes). The video is taken from an exercise in Athens and the horn is somewhere across the city.
Yep, every first Monday of the month we can enjoy our nice alarm in every town in the Netherlands. But they are gonna break them down in a few years from now, because we get the alarms also on our smartphones recently.
In general - there are two types of sirens. the air-powered older ones - and the newer electronic ones. I'm quite sure Greece and Romania were air-powered - I really like them. The cadence of rising tone+volume, holding - and going back down again is simply by compressed air being turned on, staying on - and being turned off. The rotor spooling up and down inside the siren causes the tone and volume to rise and fall. Those were in widespread use since WW2 here in Germany - and most probably in many other parts of Europe. Very effective, simple - and reliable. Original ones from WW2 have a kinda raspy note to them due to surface rust. Their mushroom-shape can still be seen on many buildings here. The newer electronic ones are a lot less cool IMO - albeit Kuwait and the Netherlands are pretty cool and use the full potential of modern tech.
In Germany we have some alert signals: Alerts for the fire brigade 1. Fire brigade alarm (continuous tone: 3 x 15 seconds, interrupted 2 x 7 seconds) A continuous tone of 3 x 15 seconds, each interrupted for 7 seconds, means "fire brigade alarm". This signal is only used to alert the fire brigade. The signal can be repeated if necessary. 2. Siren test (continuous tone, 15 seconds) A continuous tone of 15 seconds means "siren test". This signal is only used to test the siren function and is usually triggered every first Saturday of the month at around 11 a.m. However, in this day and age, one cannot close one's eyes to other dangers that the population must be warned about. This is also done via the siren. Therefore, you should at least have heard and read about it. Warnings for the population 3. Alarm (rising and falling siren, 1 minute) -> this was used for bombing at WW II A rising and falling siren lasting at least 1 minute means "alarm", danger is imminent. Turn on the radio or TV and observe the behavioral measures indicated there. 4. Warning (continuous tone, 3 minutes) A constant continuous tone lasting 3 minutes means "warning". This signal is triggered when the population is to be warned of approaching dangers (natural events, technical disasters, radioactivity). Turn on the radio or TV and observe the behavioral measures indicated there. 5. All clear (continuous tone, 1 minute) A constant continuous tone lasting 1 minute (only after a previous alarm signal) means "all clear", i.e. the danger has ended. However, continue to pay attention to the announcements on the radio or TV, as there may be certain temporary restrictions.
Being close to an alarm can be terrifying, even if you know it's just a test. In Austria, the sirens are tested every Saturday at noon, with the first Saturday of October having all warning signal types tested. (same siren, but different lengths and intervals) It's *so* loud that I'm not sure if it's supposed to be two slightly dissonant frequencies or if it's my hearing almost shutting down. Also, it gets creepier when you hear sirens in other parts of the city starting up slightly offset.
You can come and listen to the Dutch alarm every first Monday of the month at noon. And twice a year all mobile phones will start buzzing and beeping as well. Be sure to be around some tourists or new expats...the looks on their faces...so much fun. I figure all countries have these alarm, but not all do regular testing.
In the Netherlands the system is tested on every first Monday of the month at noon. I've got one of those alarm things RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT basically at eye level from my vantage point. IT'S LOUD.
A long monotonous tone indicates the end of the danger. height, color, purity of sound depends on the manufacturer of the siren. In my town in Croatia it is actually like the one in France.
In South Africa we only have these alarms at the refineries for emergencies and it sounds similar to the French one. It is an electric motor with a turbo like blade ( not sure what it is called) which makes that sound and when you switch off the motor then it makes that winding down sound at the end.
In Germany many of these sirens were taken down after the end of the cold war. So you don't really hear this wailing sounds of a siren very often anymore. Not too long ago a system was implemented that instead sends a warning signal to cell phones, regardless of model or network company. Very loud warning sounds and information texts are sent to every cell phone that is connected to a certain cell. The system is pretty new, the first time it was tested like half of the phones did not receive the signal. Now I started working at Deutsche Bahn, the german national railway company this summer. The first months will be mostly training, much of it in a class room setting. We were each issued a cell phone and a tablet (which also has a sim card) and of course we each have a privat phone. So we're 11 people including our instructor, totalling 33 devices. Let's say this time they tested the system, it worked very well and our ears were ringing for the next hour! 😅
the us one is interesting, i always thought thats just the sound the tv makes when all stations go offline, not that this the sound thats meant to be a siren
It's weird, i actually can'timagine it being any useful in like high wind or loud traffic or heavy crowd situations with lots of noise. High persistent frequencies carry better through the chaos like those
In the Croatia the EAS gets tested on the first Satuday of the month at noon. Not a pleasant sound for those of us who lived during the war...I still get goosebumps when they test on Saturdays. I don't know where this siren we were listening to is from, but in Zagreb it is the same as the Ukrainian one.
The second one of the USA the dissonant tone is also used in the Netherlands. It's the sound your phone makes at the same time the outside sirens are tested.
As an Australian, who has never experienced a real life emergency where the sirens have sounded, I cannot even imagine the overwhelming sense of foreboding and dread which would accompany hearing one of these sound off.
This type of alarm was abandoned years ago in the UK. Today, audible and text alarms are sent to every mobile phone in the area/region involved, or nationally as necessary.
In early 1984 an air raid warning siren test happened just as I was sat looking out my bedroom window across the fields from Arundel towards Littlehampton - it was the last thing I expected to hear and my blood ran cold as I thought that was it. I couldn't move as I was that scared. The next thing I heard was a motorbike racing along the main road as he probably thought his time was up as well. They regularly did these tests over in Portsmouth dockyard and there's videos of people at The Hard (near HMS Warrior) filming them as they happened.
In Germany the sound you have heard was the ABC alarm (from a electric siren) tone go up an down. We have the ABC alarm: tone goes up and down Firealarm: three times sound with a little pause between for the alarm of the volounteer firefighters in the country Entwarnung/ end of danger: one tone for a minute
It depends on what siren is installed, one with airpressure sounds different than the electric ones. In Germany we have old E57 with airpressue and modern electric ones
We, in The Netherlands, hear it testing every first Monday of the month at 12 in the afternoon, and once in the 3 months also the phone alarm testing at the same time, which sounds kinda simular to the US. That phone test always scares the crap out of me 🤣 Its so loud..
We hear the Dutch one every first Monday of the month. And they sometimes test the phone alert system as well. That one has the same sound as the American and British ones. The look on the faces of tourists when these things go off is priceless.
Swiss here. The second one is a old siren that uses several honks for the siren sound. I think there is only one remaining in the whole country, if there still is one. They all get replaced by ones that sound similar to the first one.
I was scared shitless the first time I heard the dutch one. I was a brand new uni student last year and was about to leave my home and then heard this shit, I didnt know its tested first monday of every month. Just when I was getting used tot he sound a couple months in, my phone alarm also went off which never has happened before. Shook me to my core😭😭
An alarm that rocked my childhood is the one that was in the "Baa Baa Black Sheep" Opening. An old American series on WWII with Robert Conrad. and corsair plane
the Danish one is tested on the first Wednesday in May, at noon. As of last year, there is also a mobile phone alert. Having been used to only hearing the alarm once a year, I nearly had a heart attack when it (due to a error) went off late in the evening a couple of years ago
13:05. The Danish one can be used both as short bursts in a pattern and as a longer tone depending of meaning. As an example, If something goes on locally, it will be a constant tone for a minute and then means: "go inside, close windows and listen to radio/TV". If used locally a special text TV page also will state why specifically. SMS can also be used to push a message in an area or nation wide.
As a Portuguese I’m used to hear ours every other week or so. Now with cell phones and better ways of communication, don’t know how often they sound, but growing up they used to go off for forest fires and big accidents, coz it was also used to call upon the voluntary firefighters to rush to the FD HQ. The one we all always fear the most, it’s what’s it called the Siren’s Cry, they sound it when firefighters fall in the line of duty.
The US one sounds like a alien mind control. The Canadian sounds like everything is already dead and this comes from a still running broadcast. Mexiko needs a bass drum
Our Australian alarm is normally for the TV just to alert you on a big storm coming with strong winds and possible hail, which is usually explained seconds after the alarm interruption takes place. Now that we don't watch TV anymore, I don't know what we would get instead. Maybe push notifications or maybe that iphone one lol
The Greek and Romanian siren sounds very similar to the German E57 by Siemens and Schuckert. They look like a mushroom. Germany sadly is starting to replace them with the Hörmann ECN 800 and 1600 (4 or 8 speakers), which are electrical sirens. The E57 has a lot of fans. I remember seeing videos of one being inside a bell tower, and another on top of a pub out in the middle of nowhere. The Kuwait siren uses the wail mode. It could also be found in Chicago, on top of an alternating mode, famous for being used as the sound of Siren Head. The Austrian is electrical for sure. I am sure I have watched a video of it. Looks like two triangles above each other, also available as 10 triangles. The second swiss siren is the KTG-10. It is infamous for its sound. Glad it was included :) Surprised America didn't have a single siren representated. There are many to choose from, electrical and mechanical. Many know the Federal Signal Thunderbolt or Whelen Vortex. New Zealand with the shoplifting sirens xD Singapore sounds like the fire alarm of my school. Norway sounds like a boat horn, probably has something to do with lawines. Guess the same for Sweden. The danish siren sounds a bit defective. Netherlands is fancy af. Very cool.
When I saw the title I wondered about why there would be a video about Electronic Air Suspension alarms on Range Rovers. Now I’m going to Google what an EAS alarm is all about (don’t have them in Australia as far as I’m aware).
Most of the european alarms stem from WWII, where the sirens where used and known as air raid sirens to warn the citizens that a nearby airplane bombing is imminent, so the citizens could search refuge in their basements for shelter. As far as my late grandmother told me, whenever those sirens sounded you would drop everything you just did and make a run for the basement to save your life. Also, the swelling of the sirens has different meanings: If it's swelling up and down that marks the warning, pretty much says: "Caution, imminent danger" When it's just one, lone singular tone going on: "All Clear, threat over" Also, in Germany, the modern EAS Alarm is accompanied by a blaring and shrill loud sound your Cellphone will make, including a red screen displayed on it as well.
In France, the alarm is tested the first Wednesday of the month at noon (when I was a kid we used to use it to check if our schools’ clocks were on time 😂).
In Germany it's the first Saturday every month at noon when the sirens are tested, in my part of town at least. Very similar. 😊
In The Netherlands it is the first Monday of the month, also at noon :)
So basically if you to invade most european countries, do it during the first week of the month, at noon...? 🤔
@@UserName92149 I think they've reduced it to being once per semester now because I hear it less often. But mostly I guess it's to be 100% sure it's working the way it should.
And yeah I used to live right next to one of those, it is a liiiiiiiittle bit noisy. 😂
bizarrement ça fait un moment que je les ai pas entendus
when i was a kid, it was every wednesday in belgium, then once a month, then once every 3 months, then, ok, we don't care
Netherlands is also a hearing test. We use multiple frequencies. Some will make vibrations that deaf people can notice.
We also use push message on GSM network and others.
Similar with the phone thing in Norway. Introduced a couple years ago - the system will force a pop-up on every cell phone. AFAIK it will pop-up even without a SIM card - will work as long as the phone is powered on.
They test this system every year at noon on a given date - along with the sirens.
Because it has multiple frequencies it cannot be confused with a distant train, boat or truck horn, and it carries very far. The smartphone alert is identical to the US one, and scares the hell out of you during lunch break in the office restaurant on the first monday of the month at noon! Everyone jumps up!
same here in Austria. We got a Textmessage and hear the Alarm all 3months on porpuse for Testing. Takes a whole Hour with 15min delay for Airraid, Atomicalert, Chemicalaler and the last on is for Alert is over
In fact the Alert you hear in this Vid is the Airraid alert ^^ Sounds much more Powerfull in Reallife ;)
The one thing they really need to change about the message on the phone is the ability to switch off the sound (after it started), but the message remains. The sound is so annoying I switch it off as soon as I can, but that means I don't have time to read the message. (Sure, you can search for it, but it should be easy)
The US and other non-European ones are weird because it's clearly electronic. All the European ones are either analogue (literally someone spinning a handle and releasing briefly for the dip to let the spinning cylinder drop RPM for the downward oscillation) or are electronic recreations of that exact one. You can find the devices by looking up "Handkurbel Sirene" for example, though many rural fire stations and the like literally just have a standing one installed. Makes perfect sense since you want to be able to communicate there is an emergency particularly when power is cut ... due to an emergency.
slightly incorrect... the Danish one is 100% electronic and consists of 3 of those wails and then a long one to sound the all clear
It still imitates the sound of a non-electronic siren so the messaging to the people remains the same whether electronic means are available or not, at least. That's the main point, unlike the Finnish one, for example.
@@msytbFinnish was wrong. It's also a hand crank imitation nowadays. But we have some kind of speakers now as it also says provalarm in swedish. I haven't heard it in ten years while I was living in Helsinki center. Weird that Helsinki doesn't have working alarms and countryside does. I even complained that I haven't heard it in years and they didn't even respond to me.
Many of the European ones are recorded old WWII Air Raid sirens that were retained and used during the cold war, today as incoming ballistic missile warning. Mounted on towers at police and fire stations. Also used in UK and Ireland to call retained (part time) fire crews to duty as electronic cell/mobile phone communications not 100% reliable.
@@oskar6747 Weird thing to complain about.
The German one sounded like a very new siren. We also still have the very old air raid siren ones all over, especially the countryside.
The continuous up and down is the EAS sinal and also means "turn on your radio / TV and wait for further information".
3 times 15s continuous tone is fire alarm alerting the voluntary firefighters to report to the fire station at once.
1 time 15s continuous is test alarm. Used to be done on the first saturday each month, but haven't heared in a while, so maybe they're not doing that any more...
1 min continuous is the all clear signal.
They have been establishing alternative ways of warning the public by "KatWarn" , a system that sends a signal to all mobile phones in the region to set off an according alatm.
Those systems are tested all together on nation wide "warning days". On that day at the specified time all hell breaks loose when all mobile phones, sirens alarms and whatever go off simultaneously! 😆
Can confirm. Saturday testing still exists. 😅
To be clear.
National siren signals are only:
1 minute constant tone : All clear.
1 minute "howl" (constantly rising and falling) tone: Warning! Switch on Radio/TV/etc. and be prepared for further information.
There are more local signals.
The "fire signal" varies from 3x 12s with 2x12s pause to 3x 15s with 2x7s pause.
For instance in bavaria the fire signal is the 12 variant and sirens are mostly tested every Saturday morning with the signal "Fire Alarm" ...
Also KatWarn ist not the main Warning App. KatWarn is only an addition.
The official warning app is "NiNA" provided by BBK (Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe / Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance).
Confirmed
In the Netherlands the EAS gets tested on the first Monday of the month at Noon.
if you happen to be in between cities (especially in a polder) you can hear them from multiple cities at once
The moment to watch the Big Brother livestream the first time it happens: when the Belgians get surprised.
Because somehow, the contestants don't know, and haven't seen it.
the best part i think is that they're not synced so you hear multiple peaks
Finland one was for tv/radio. We also have ''classic'' sounding alarm for city and neighborhood areas. Sounds similar to Ukraine one.
So "CQ" in morse code? Do these letters have a special meaning? I'm thinking "CQ" sounds like the beginning of "security" in English, but not sure if that's accurate.
@@Findalfen CQ would stand for "Come Quick" and was used as an emergency signal. No idea if that's what Finland ment, but yeah. CQD (Come Quick Danger) was another variant, and this one was used by the Titanic during their mayday messages. After the Titanic's sinking, SOS became the international standard.
With the first examples (like Austria) you hear at least two different alarms here: the solid tone is either pre-alarm (minimum 3 minutes) or the all-clear-alarm (1 minute). The actual alarm is the wailing tone (minimum 1 minute). The sirens are old style mechanical and could be activated even with a hand crank.
The Croatian one is actually wrong as the shown one means "the end of danger" the wailing one means the danger is imminent.
As a Ukrainian, many things are scary for me.
But still, the ukrainian eas alarms one scares the most because she plays on the streets every day because of the war ( I'm sorry if I didn't write correctly, I used a translator)☺️
Translation is perfect 😃 Stay strong like you are✊
At least the comment remains, mine got deleted twice... Oh well...
Дякую за перегляд. Залишайтеся сильними 🙏
I find it crazy, but I caught myself on the thought I am not afraid of this alarm anymore. It's even became some kind of a sick and unnerving lullaby. I've got used to it so much, it is even strange to go to sleep without hearing it.
The sound of explosions on the other hand... that is a bit more impactful, if I dare say so. Crazy times we live on...
@@IWrocker Дякую за вашу (особисту і загалом, як представника країни-партнера) підтримку! Бережи Господь вас і вашу сім'ю!
I knew we (The Netherlands) would win in terms of being the weirdest 😂
HOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIII
Netherland sounds more like an Alien Invasion 😂😂😂
🤣 And the mexicans are the ones who are prepared for the alien invasion.
Yea I’d agree 🤣🎉🎉
Yeah, it knocked me off my socks, LOL
Sounds like the intro to an Aphex Twin song
🗣️ *_"..come to daddy!.."_*
The Dutch alarm is really making sure everybody hears it
If you're hearing impaired at a certain tone you're sure to hear it.
That's smart!
The Brazilian one is also the German “Entwarnung” (all-clear Sound). 1 Minute continuous tone
They needed a sound that the brazilians wouldn't dance to 😉
@ Fair Point😅
Fun fact, idk about ALL European countries, but at least here in Portugal, especially in smaller towns, you hear those when the fire station received a call and needs extra personal (since unfortunately in villages you only have volunteers' fire stations). It's creepy but I've grown so used to them by now haha, i hear them at least once a month. No matter the time, it will echo throughout the whole town. Kinda spooky if you're walking late at night on the empty streets. And yeah, is pretty loud just like you saw 😂
Edit: depending on the number of spins, you also can know what's going on, if fire, if car accident, etc.
Same in Poland
Same in rural parts of Germany.
Cool, I always wondered if just here @@stanislavczebinski994
In Croatia volonteer firefiters have an app on their phones that starts wailing, then you have to ether press that you are available or not. That way they also get the info of if there are enough people available or not. If they need to alert the volunteers a town over.
Yeah as far as i know, they have something like that here too, or so i heard a few years back. But maybe just to be safe they still ring the siren - I've had a few family members who were volunteer firefighters, including my dad, i remember back in the day they also had a pager, but still would ring the siren @@LilliD3
12:56 (Finland) That's the morse code for "CQ" with the meaning "to everyone"
so that was also part of TITANICS call for aid?
@@HrLBolle Not exact. The radio operators alternately used the then common "CQD" which is like "CQ" - "to everybody" and "D" for "distress" (emergency call) as well as the new "SOS".
@@rome0610
Thanks to our Friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs I am aware that Senior operator Jack Phillips alongside his junior operator Harold Bride, both employees of the Marconi Company, or to be more precise the maritime department of it, used "CQD" followed by the newly adopted "SOS" to inform any vessel within reach of their situation and after that to update the rescuers on the situation right to last ounce of steam supplied to the auxiliary Dynamo installation aboard the doomed RMS TITANIC.
Our alarm (Sweden) is called Hesa Fredrik. And is tested on the first non-holiday Monday in the last month of the quarter (March, June, September, December) at 3:00 p.m.
As a Norwegian, I can definitely confirm that is how the Norwegian EAS alarm sounds like, and different signals mean different things - although we recently added digital EASes to smartphones as well.
The biggest problem with Norway's system, very few can hear them.
As long as ones phone is on, that's not a problem now luckily @@JoriDiculous
@@JoriDiculous Not really - I've lived in both urban and really rural places, and I've always heard them when they're tested. Of course they're placed strategically in areas where a lot of people live, as well as around areas that are otherwise vulnerable to or natural targets for an enemy attack. This means that it's actually opposite - very many people _can_ hear them. Yes, there are a substantial number of people outside of hearing distance to these alarms, but WAAAAAAAAY more people can hear them.
Besides, with Norway having adopted an electronic EAS, its reach has substantially improved to virtually everyone in Norway.
@@JoriDiculous As a Norwegian that is something I can confirm!
@@Henoik Haven't heard the alarm here in decades. Pretty sure I'd have to go back at least 10 years, but probably 20.
the french alarm is about 105db, this alarm is tested the first Wednesday of the month at 12 o'clock and as a french I think it's a pretty cripy sound lol
@@UserName92149 Yep! every month...We don't even pay attention to it anymore.
@@UserName92149 I confirm every month the first Wednesday between 11:45 and 12:15. No one panics because we are used to it since childhood.
There are also fire evacuation exercises in schools several times a year
@@UserName92149 Sweden also tests every month. First monday 15:00. I guess that makes everyone familiar with it since you don't hear it very often otherwise. I heard it once in 45 years when some clever guy managed to flip an entire tanker on a heaviliy trafficked road in a densely populated area (Valhallavägen).
A lot of the European EAS seem to be based on WW2 air raid sirens which would make sense
We used to call firefighters on duty, it happened one time to listen and I freaked out, first because i didn't know that in my country (village, not state) use that, second is an air raid siren, if you listen that you know that you are f...
Unfortunately yt deleting comments strikes again
Just imagine living in a small german village, having one of those sirens installed on your house. In the village my mom lives in, the sirens got changed. The old GDR E57 got switched to a new one, even louder... When I walked past that one, it went off for a traffic accident on the Autobahn (it's a volunteer fire department in this village) And if you wonder "What's a E57 sounding like?", Romania sounds like they still have them...
Poland sounds like an air raid siren straight out of WW2...
9:12 - the canadian one got me - Here in Austria a new system got tested - called "AT Alert" and all phones at work went off with that sound at the same time...
Australia sounds like a fire alarm at the airport got triggered... Heard that one years ago in Leipzig, Germany - gladly it was a malfunction and everything was okay a few minutes later after the system was reset
all the scandinavian ones sound like a train or ship horn going off non-stop
The Dutch system is scheduled to be decommissioned but lots of people have spoken up against that.
There now is an alternative system that works via the mobile phone network, the advantage is that it can send a text message detailing what the issue is.
Also, it is more likely that it is noticed when you are indoors or in rural areas.
But of course it requires a mobile phone to even notice it.
THe phasing out of the EAS is shelved indefinitely because of these protests. That, and the mobile phone system, even though it's been in used for over a decade still doesn't function as it should.
Laughing in Norwegian.
The Finnish one was the sound people hear when there's some public safety announcement on radio or TV. It's a text, which runs on the screen. The alarms are tested on every first Monday of month at noon, so you can check your watch then. The sound differs a bit depending on each siren. Here are couple of examples: "Siren test 3.5.2021 - City center of Lappeenranta, Finland", "Siren test in Espoo, Finland - Teho-Ulvo D1200 - 7.7.2014", "Hörmann F71 pneumatic siren test in Turku, Finland 3.7.2023" and "Old Teho-Ulvo siren tested in Lahti, Finland - Väestöhälyttimen kokeilu".
In The Netherlands it is tested every first Monday of the month at 12 O'Clock we are used to it hahaha
The system is also very loud in the Netherlands, birds are freaking out everytime the testing the system
in Czechia, we test every wednesday (edit: I wanted to say first wednesday in month), tourists are always very confused by that, I thought they test it in all countries, but they obviously don't 😀 we started testing it properly after 2002 floods
Every first Wednesday of the months at 12am in France!
@@Pidalin every Wednesday? it’s funny because for us in France it’s every first Wednesday of the month
@@arnaudlevoyageurhorrifique I meant first wednesday in month ofcourse, I was somehow confused when I was typing it. 😀 They test it because in 2002, half of them didn't work and it was a problem in time when not everyone had mobily phone.
In Austria we have short siren tests every Saturday at noon (12 a.m.). And once a year whats called Zivilschutz Probealarm (= civil protection alarm test) where all types of different emergency sounds are tested and sirens are deeper montiored and inspected. And this year there was also for the first time the nationwide phone alert too... where we get this alert notification on our phones.
15:09 unfortunately, I hear it very often
Stay strong my friend!
Stay safe
thanks your j3wish master for beign a loyal dog of his nafo overlords 🤡🤡🤡
Slava Ukraini
@@vogel2280 Героям слава
In the Netherlands it's tested every first Monday of the mound for 1:26 second. At 12:00 pm.
regarding the austrian alert. there are three different patterns, designated to different threat levels and one of them to signal that the alert has ended.
if that thing is blaring for 3 minutes straight, it's a problem
if that thing is going up and down. sh't is about to happen.
1 minute: no more danger.
In Austria they tested those alarms every first saturday of the month
@@Moonchild0 i think its actually every first saturday. at least for Niederösterreich, but definitely not in Vienna.
I live in Vienna close to the border to Niederösterreich and i hear the EAS blaring every first saturday.
@@mochipink5875 yeah, I typed too fast
If you decide to travel to Europe one time and want to hear that air alarm signal for your self, visit the Netherlands around the first Monday of the month, as they are tested on noon that day...
We hear the Dutch alarm every month during the test, on the first Monday of the month, at 12 o'clock noon for one minute and 26 seconds! 😎
And it's super funny when there are foreigners here at that moment, because they think WW3 has started! 🤣✌🏼
Singapore sounds like star wars
Norway and Sweden just blow a foghorn in your ears
The Norwegian and Swedish ones are essentially the same system. It's Kockum Sonics "Tyfon" pneumatic air horns. The main difference is the Norwegian ones are usually mounted with three horns in the same spot, whereas the Swedish ones are usually just one horn (although there are sometimes two horns in one spot), hence the sound is a bit different/stronger on the Norwegian one.
There is also an electronic version of the system starting to replace the pneumatic horns in Sweden, which can play messages as well.
The electronic ones are easy to tell apart from the OG pneumatic horns:
The pneumatic horns are just that, air horns mounted on a pole, whereas the electronic version has an air horn with a silver-coloured "ball"/"sphere" on the back end of it.
France sounds very like the UK old air raid sirens, which also reminds me of Silent Hill.
Many of those sirens go back to WWII air raid sirens. In Germany we have a mixture that can range from original ones or just after the war, to new electronic horn speakers which can in theory also be used for like announcements in an emergency situation. We abandoned a siren alarm system in the nineties, just to scramble to rebuild one in the last Years, as until late we also did not have cell broadcast implemented. Today we have a modular system with sirens, cell broadcast, radio and TV stations as well as electronic billboards being integrated. Oh, and the today unavoidable apps of course.
In germany after abandoning sirens in the nineties we scrambled to reestablish a system in the last years.
Today we have a mix from same type as wwii air raid sirens (i think austria and others use similar models or the sound is somewhat similar ro rjat, although often it is changed as the original sound gave older people who still knew air raid sirens almost a heart attack) up to electronic horn speakers that can be used for announcements as well. Add to that messages through tv and radio stations, electronic bilboards, cell broadcast (just implemented over the last years)
From my childhood i remeber sirens were tested every first saturday in the month at exactly noon.
Today they are monitored and we usually have what they call a "Warntag" once a year.
There are typically two or three signals, one alarm signal with the siren ramping up and slowing down in a fixed intervall. I think three times for thirty seconds continuous tone is not everywhere and may be used to alert volunteer firefighters. A continuous one monute tone ends the alarm. For tests it is played ahead of the test as well to announce the following alarm as a test.
In the oast we had multiple alarms, like a separate one what was called "ABC Alarm". Today there is only one that tells you to switch on your radio or look into an app like NINA that will also show you alarms and warnings, wven for thise where sirens are not used. When it comes ro weather or smaller incidents involving for example smoke those usually are only on the app. If they sound the sirens, the shit indeed has hit rhe fan big time.
The one from the UK indeed sounds exactly like a Cellbroadcast alarm from any mobile phone.
Idk but here in South Bavaria we have a Alarm Test with Phone warning every first Saturday on each Month and they actually do sound like the old Sirens kinda like the ones we heared from Ukraine.
@@Numira Northrhine -Westfala seems not to have monthly public tests any more. On the Phone you might be using either the Nina or Katwarn ab, at least one of those sounds like an actual Siren.
The newly established Cell Broadcast messages (as it was not needed or requested the cellphone providers did not implement it since, can´t even tell when) sound exactly like the UK sirens from the video, or what Ian called an amber alert (got those in the US as well) which is actually a cell broadcast message. Not sure if it is some sort of standardized sound for those message types or if there is some kind of a silent agreement between all vendors, as it seems indeed all cellphones, Apple, google, Motorola. OnePlus,... play the same sounds for that.
I hear the swiss one every year for the annual testing, however I've never heard the second one
In Denmark we test these the first Wednesday of May every year.
For a second you think the country is getting attacked, but then you remember the date😂
Under the cold war it was tested every week!
They did yearly testing for a while in the Netherlands as well, but it was considered too disruptive because people would tend to forget it was that time of year again. So they switched back to testing every first monday of the month.
In sweden they are tested on first monday of every third month at 15:00 (march, june, september and december). There are different signals to keep track of, but only the "VMA" (Viktigt Meddelande för Allmänheten, or "Important message to the public") signal are tested. The signal is colloquially called "Hesa Fredrik" (hoarse Fredrik)
Every first monday of the month at 12:00 (noon) we hear those damn sirens have a scream off for which one can go the highest in the Netherlands...
I'd argue that sweeping frequencies are the best as it has the best chance for elderly and/or people with impaired hearing. A fixed frequency can be totally missed by some people. Also depending on where they are and background noise from machinery or otherwise.
This is exactly what the Dutch EAS signal does, and for that specific reason. The rising frequencies ensure even the elderly who have lost most of their hearing will pick it up.
I couldn't bear watching the whole video, but skipped through it to find the Dutch one, especially after hearing most of the others were one solid tone. Your reaction was perfect! It gets even more impressive when you live between two towers that aren't entirely in sync, and hear a mix of frequencies and durations.
I don't know if you know music, but the Dutch one basically slides up and down one octave while climbing the scale at the start of each slide. After it reaches that highest note it repeats from the beginning of the cycle.
Croatia also has one similar to French EAS. And it's tested every first Saturday of the month at 12 o'clock (noon).
In the UK we do not completely have sirens everywhere we basically use radio and TV announcements and just recently got the phone warning, In some places mainly military towns there are air raid sirens from WW1 & WW2 they get used and tested frequently.
Here in the UK we had a test of the EAS alert last year, but on my phone network (Three) for some reason no users received it, so we went about our daily business without a care in the world. Maybe that's the best way to deal with these emergency warnings.
Aye, iv never seen or heard and EAS here in England. Not even certain we have a real way of getting it across. I think they rely to heavily on TV, which most people i know, myself included, don't watch or even have a tv these days given everything's on the computer now
There are basically 2 types of those srens: the old mechanical type, thats known since WW2, and the modern electronical generated sounds. Here in Germany we used to have mechanical ones up to some years ago,. Since, many have ben exchanged for electronic ones - the kind of sound was mostly kept, though. And there are a number of different modes (continous, interrupted) with different meanings.
Of course the electronical ones are much more flexible in what the sound can be and even can contain vocal warnings. Like in Japan. The old ones (Austria, Ukraine) are basically wheels with holes that are spun by a electric motor. So the sound they can make is pretty limited. But they are very loud, neverthelss. That depends also how far away it is, of course.
16:26 can confirm that that is indeed the Dutch alarm.
The Netherlands will also test them every first monday of the month, with a few very rare exeptions. And sometimes locations will not go off so it is a good thing to test it.
They will send phone alerts, and sometimes use the alarm as well locally when there is a big fire nearby depending on the situation
Can confirm the Australian one. Have heard it played before cyclone (Hurricane) alerts while living in Cairns, and when bushfires are about to arrive in Sydney.
12:39 10 scanias honking
fun fact: our sirens in austria get tested every saturday exactly at 12/noon to see if everything works fine. Also fire departments use the same alarm when the firefighters are needed/there's a fire/accident etc where the firefighters are in need. We are used to hearing that alarm at least once a week
Is it really that often though? I feel like I haven't heard it for weeks now
@@T_Witti yeah. It's weekly. I live close to a fire station, always was tested
We used to test them in the UK as well. Is it weird that I kinda miss it? Haven't heard the test since my childhood.
...and once in a quater of a year the whole "procedure" will be testet: the weekly test pattern, pre-alarm, alarm, all-clear, electronic devices like pager included.
@@rome0610 yup, i think phone alarm is new
The weirdest of all is still the Chicago Tornado Siren.
The "alternate wail" is probanly the eeriest sound an american federal siren can produce.
It is so creepy that it was used for Siren Head, a monster in a Fallout 4 Mod.
I'm a Swede that have our official emergency response app (SOS Alarm 112) on my phone.
It has the most notable sound that I ever heard.
A problem is that it doesn't alert about war or bombings. It does however force you to change underwear if there's a traffic accident in your area.
Some adjustments regarding the sound and actual danger would be nice.
Du kan fixa det i inställningarna! Om du öppnar appen och klickar på "mer" i menyn så kan du välja att ställa den på "notis alarm" (den läskiga), "notis på" (skickar en vanlig pushnotis med liknande ljud som sms) eller "notis av" (inga notiser). Jag håller med om att den är skitläskig.
5:36 yeah, they use that old Siemens E-57 from ww2 in Austria
In Bulgaria you heard them on 2 June every year for tribute , But also you hear them extra one time a year when they test them , and then you actually hear the 4 different tones for different warnings + voice. There was incident few years back in a city where instead of the tone for the tribute they played the one for air attack and people panicked. Also since last year they have been testing national wide phone alerts , so that will be added at some point as well.
recorded the last test alarm we had in germany, have it here on my YT. there are entire channels dedicated just to the sirens failing. how they sound may appear differently depending on their age and type, sometimes weather conditions or if they got dirty over time, and the terrain that might reflect sound. different types are used to cover different distances. inner city sirens may be different than those on the wide open lands.
Finland uses the Morse code CQ. CQ is a station code used by wireless operators derived from long established telegraphic practice on undersea cables and landlines, particularly used by those communicating in Morse code, but also by voice operators, to make a general call (called a CQ call). Transmitting the letters CQ on a particular radio frequency means that the transmission is a broadcast or "General Call" to anyone listening, and when the operator sends "K" or says "Go Ahead" it is an invitation for any licensed radio station listening on that frequency to respond.
Norway and Sweden sounds like the honking of trucks.
The Greek one is from military exercises done 2-3 times per year. The siren starts and holds tone for the duration of the alarm (usually 1-2 minutes). The video is taken from an exercise in Athens and the horn is somewhere across the city.
Yep, every first Monday of the month we can enjoy our nice alarm in every town in the Netherlands. But they are gonna break them down in a few years from now, because we get the alarms also on our smartphones recently.
In general - there are two types of sirens.
the air-powered older ones - and the newer electronic ones.
I'm quite sure Greece and Romania were air-powered - I really like them. The cadence of rising tone+volume, holding - and going back down again is simply by compressed air being turned on, staying on - and being turned off. The rotor spooling up and down inside the siren causes the tone and volume to rise and fall.
Those were in widespread use since WW2 here in Germany - and most probably in many other parts of Europe. Very effective, simple - and reliable. Original ones from WW2 have a kinda raspy note to them due to surface rust. Their mushroom-shape can still be seen on many buildings here.
The newer electronic ones are a lot less cool IMO - albeit Kuwait and the Netherlands are pretty cool and use the full potential of modern tech.
Switzerland has more than one alarm. One is a general alarm and there is also a water alarm for floodings.
In Germany we have some alert signals: Alerts for the fire brigade
1. Fire brigade alarm (continuous tone: 3 x 15 seconds, interrupted 2 x 7 seconds)
A continuous tone of 3 x 15 seconds, each interrupted for 7 seconds, means "fire brigade alarm". This signal is only used to alert the fire brigade. The signal can be repeated if necessary.
2. Siren test (continuous tone, 15 seconds)
A continuous tone of 15 seconds means "siren test". This signal is only used to test the siren function and is usually triggered every first Saturday of the month at around 11 a.m.
However, in this day and age, one cannot close one's eyes to other dangers that the population must be warned about. This is also done via the siren. Therefore, you should at least have heard and read about it.
Warnings for the population
3. Alarm (rising and falling siren, 1 minute) -> this was used for bombing at WW II
A rising and falling siren lasting at least 1 minute means "alarm", danger is imminent. Turn on the radio or TV and observe the behavioral measures indicated there.
4. Warning (continuous tone, 3 minutes)
A constant continuous tone lasting 3 minutes means "warning". This signal is triggered when the population is to be warned of approaching dangers (natural events, technical disasters, radioactivity). Turn on the radio or TV and observe the behavioral measures indicated there.
5. All clear (continuous tone, 1 minute)
A constant continuous tone lasting 1 minute (only after a previous alarm signal) means "all clear", i.e. the danger has ended. However, continue to pay attention to the announcements on the radio or TV, as there may be certain temporary restrictions.
Ofc These are recorded at different distances and equipment. so the only real way to know how effective it is, is by going to hear one for yourself.
Are you saying they should stand next to them and record?
@ No just that they are like idk 500 meters away for all of them
Being close to an alarm can be terrifying, even if you know it's just a test. In Austria, the sirens are tested every Saturday at noon, with the first Saturday of October having all warning signal types tested. (same siren, but different lengths and intervals) It's *so* loud that I'm not sure if it's supposed to be two slightly dissonant frequencies or if it's my hearing almost shutting down. Also, it gets creepier when you hear sirens in other parts of the city starting up slightly offset.
You can come and listen to the Dutch alarm every first Monday of the month at noon. And twice a year all mobile phones will start buzzing and beeping as well. Be sure to be around some tourists or new expats...the looks on their faces...so much fun. I figure all countries have these alarm, but not all do regular testing.
In the Netherlands the system is tested on every first Monday of the month at noon.
I've got one of those alarm things RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT basically at eye level from my vantage point. IT'S LOUD.
A long monotonous tone indicates the end of the danger. height, color, purity of sound depends on the manufacturer of the siren. In my town in Croatia it is actually like the one in France.
In South Africa we only have these alarms at the refineries for emergencies and it sounds similar to the French one. It is an electric motor with a turbo like blade ( not sure what it is called) which makes that sound and when you switch off the motor then it makes that winding down sound at the end.
The Aussie one almost brought back PTSD from the Canberra bushfires.
In Germany many of these sirens were taken down after the end of the cold war. So you don't really hear this wailing sounds of a siren very often anymore. Not too long ago a system was implemented that instead sends a warning signal to cell phones, regardless of model or network company. Very loud warning sounds and information texts are sent to every cell phone that is connected to a certain cell. The system is pretty new, the first time it was tested like half of the phones did not receive the signal.
Now I started working at Deutsche Bahn, the german national railway company this summer. The first months will be mostly training, much of it in a class room setting. We were each issued a cell phone and a tablet (which also has a sim card) and of course we each have a privat phone. So we're 11 people including our instructor, totalling 33 devices.
Let's say this time they tested the system, it worked very well and our ears were ringing for the next hour! 😅
the us one is interesting, i always thought thats just the sound the tv makes when all stations go offline, not that this the sound thats meant to be a siren
It's weird, i actually can'timagine it being any useful in like high wind or loud traffic or heavy crowd situations with lots of noise. High persistent frequencies carry better through the chaos like those
In the Croatia the EAS gets tested on the first Satuday of the month at noon. Not a pleasant sound for those of us who lived during the war...I still get goosebumps when they test on Saturdays. I don't know where this siren we were listening to is from, but in Zagreb it is the same as the Ukrainian one.
The second one of the USA the dissonant tone is also used in the Netherlands. It's the sound your phone makes at the same time the outside sirens are tested.
As an Australian, who has never experienced a real life emergency where the sirens have sounded, I cannot even imagine the overwhelming sense of foreboding and dread which would accompany hearing one of these sound off.
Here in Austria the sirens get tested every Saturday at noon, and the first Saturday in October every year they do a full test alarm.
Dutch one is very real i hear it every month on some industrial plants. Its very loud and intimidating.
This type of alarm was abandoned years ago in the UK. Today, audible and text alarms are sent to every mobile phone in the area/region involved, or nationally as necessary.
In early 1984 an air raid warning siren test happened just as I was sat looking out my bedroom window across the fields from Arundel towards Littlehampton - it was the last thing I expected to hear and my blood ran cold as I thought that was it. I couldn't move as I was that scared. The next thing I heard was a motorbike racing along the main road as he probably thought his time was up as well. They regularly did these tests over in Portsmouth dockyard and there's videos of people at The Hard (near HMS Warrior) filming them as they happened.
In Germany the sound you have heard was the ABC alarm (from a electric siren) tone go up an down.
We have the ABC alarm: tone goes up and down
Firealarm: three times sound with a little pause between for the alarm of the volounteer firefighters in the country
Entwarnung/ end of danger: one tone for a minute
It depends on what siren is installed, one with airpressure sounds different than the electric ones.
In Germany we have old E57 with airpressue and modern electric ones
We, in The Netherlands, hear it testing every first Monday of the month at 12 in the afternoon, and once in the 3 months also the phone alarm testing at the same time, which sounds kinda simular to the US. That phone test always scares the crap out of me 🤣 Its so loud..
We hear the Dutch one every first Monday of the month. And they sometimes test the phone alert system as well. That one has the same sound as the American and British ones. The look on the faces of tourists when these things go off is priceless.
Swiss here. The second one is a old siren that uses several honks for the siren sound. I think there is only one remaining in the whole country, if there still is one. They all get replaced by ones that sound similar to the first one.
I think you have a really good warning sound across the pond in the US. It's unique, sounds serious and grabs your attention.
The Aussie bushfire alarm sounds a lot like the first few. Makes me think of air raid sirens you hear in WWII films.
I was scared shitless the first time I heard the dutch one. I was a brand new uni student last year and was about to leave my home and then heard this shit, I didnt know its tested first monday of every month. Just when I was getting used tot he sound a couple months in, my phone alarm also went off which never has happened before. Shook me to my core😭😭
And we hear it every first monday of the month in the Netherlands 😅
An alarm that rocked my childhood is the one that was in the "Baa Baa Black Sheep" Opening. An old American series on WWII with Robert Conrad. and corsair plane
10:09 Alien invasion 😂👽
the Danish one is tested on the first Wednesday in May, at noon. As of last year, there is also a mobile phone alert.
Having been used to only hearing the alarm once a year, I nearly had a heart attack when it (due to a error) went off late in the evening a couple of years ago
13:05. The Danish one can be used both as short bursts in a pattern and as a longer tone depending of meaning. As an example, If something goes on locally, it will be a constant tone for a minute and then means: "go inside, close windows and listen to radio/TV". If used locally a special text TV page also will state why specifically. SMS can also be used to push a message in an area or nation wide.
you can hear the dutch siren every first monday of the month at 12:00, this will likely stop in 2025 so you gotta be quick ;)
its worth the trip!
As a Portuguese I’m used to hear ours every other week or so. Now with cell phones and better ways of communication, don’t know how often they sound, but growing up they used to go off for forest fires and big accidents, coz it was also used to call upon the voluntary firefighters to rush to the FD HQ. The one we all always fear the most, it’s what’s it called the Siren’s Cry, they sound it when firefighters fall in the line of duty.
Still pretty regular in the west coast.
The US one sounds like a alien mind control. The Canadian sounds like everything is already dead and this comes from a still running broadcast.
Mexiko needs a bass drum
It's all fun and games until you connect the alarm with a traumatic experience and every test is ptsd 😅
Switzerland's comes straight out of a horror movie 😅 and US from Super Mario, mexico is a hoovering UFO. 😅
Our Australian alarm is normally for the TV just to alert you on a big storm coming with strong winds and possible hail, which is usually explained seconds after the alarm interruption takes place. Now that we don't watch TV anymore, I don't know what we would get instead. Maybe push notifications or maybe that iphone one lol
The Greek and Romanian siren sounds very similar to the German E57 by Siemens and Schuckert. They look like a mushroom. Germany sadly is starting to replace them with the Hörmann ECN 800 and 1600 (4 or 8 speakers), which are electrical sirens. The E57 has a lot of fans. I remember seeing videos of one being inside a bell tower, and another on top of a pub out in the middle of nowhere.
The Kuwait siren uses the wail mode. It could also be found in Chicago, on top of an alternating mode, famous for being used as the sound of Siren Head.
The Austrian is electrical for sure. I am sure I have watched a video of it. Looks like two triangles above each other, also available as 10 triangles.
The second swiss siren is the KTG-10. It is infamous for its sound. Glad it was included :)
Surprised America didn't have a single siren representated. There are many to choose from, electrical and mechanical. Many know the Federal Signal Thunderbolt or Whelen Vortex.
New Zealand with the shoplifting sirens xD
Singapore sounds like the fire alarm of my school.
Norway sounds like a boat horn, probably has something to do with lawines. Guess the same for Sweden.
The danish siren sounds a bit defective.
Netherlands is fancy af. Very cool.
When I saw the title I wondered about why there would be a video about Electronic Air Suspension alarms on Range Rovers. Now I’m going to Google what an EAS alarm is all about (don’t have them in Australia as far as I’m aware).
Most of the european alarms stem from WWII, where the sirens where used and known as air raid sirens to warn the citizens that a nearby airplane bombing is imminent, so the citizens could search refuge in their basements for shelter.
As far as my late grandmother told me, whenever those sirens sounded you would drop everything you just did and make a run for the basement to save your life.
Also, the swelling of the sirens has different meanings:
If it's swelling up and down that marks the warning, pretty much says: "Caution, imminent danger"
When it's just one, lone singular tone going on: "All Clear, threat over"
Also, in Germany, the modern EAS Alarm is accompanied by a blaring and shrill loud sound your Cellphone will make, including a red screen displayed on it as well.
I'm from Croatia, I've heard a bunch of those in first half of the 1990s which weren't a test. Still creaps me out a bit.