The sound file for this comes from an old (and rather jerky) video I uploaded at • Siren Warning Test - S... .
France has around 4,500 sirens that form part of its national warning network (Réseau national d'alerte) which is tested the first Wednesday of every month at 12:00 for the alert 'Signal d'alerte' (this used to be followed by the end of emergency signal 'fin de l'alerte' at 12:10, but a quick search online seems to suggest this is no longer done). The system was a legacy of the air raid warning system from the Second World War, and whilst some are starting to be replaced by electronic sirens, the vast majority still seem to be the vertical, single-tone electro-mechanical versions with horns that were the typical type of design in France.
The warning and 'all clear' signal are described in law (with a third, fog horn style signal used in areas for dam failure warning). There is no compulsory requirement for a town or city to have warning sirens, but if they do, they must be able to sound the national emergency signals as laid in law, even if they are not attached to the national network (presumably so that they can be easily added to extend the system in a time of national emergency, e.g. wartime). A very different signal has to be used for companies, chemical plants, etc., that use sirens as part of their safety systems.
Photos are either mine or my long suffering friend's. Below is a list of each siren's location and the building it was on / near to (a couple of sirens I've since forgotten the location, but will add details if I find them out):
(1-2) Forgotten location, somewhere in Brittany
(3-4) Caudebec-en-Caux, electro-mechanical & electronic (mechanical -- Sapeurs Pompiers & electronic by bridge over River Seine)
(5) Île de Ré (Sapeurs Pompiers)
(6) Forgotten location
(7-8) Erquy (Sapeurs Pompiers)
(9) Étretat (Mairie)
(10) Cherbourg (Hôtel de Police)
(11) Réville (Mairie) A bad photo, but included as it was a rare square-horned siren. I think it may have been since removed.
(12) Forgotten location
(13) Ouistreham (Hôtel de Ville)
(14-15) Paris
(16-17) Forgotten exactly, maybe Rouen (taken on a trip along the River Seine from Rouen towards Le Havre)
(18) St-Malo (with gull) The siren that the sound file for this upload was taken from (Hotel de Finance)
(19-20) Pleurtuit (Mairie)
(21-23) Rennes (Service Départemental d'Incendie et de Secours (SDIS) - Pompiers)
4 сен 2024
