Siren (noisemaker) facts for kids

A pneumatic siren. You can find sirens like this on many buildings.

A siren is a special device that makes a very loud noise. Sirens are used for important warnings. You might hear them on emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. They are also placed on buildings to warn people about dangers, such as tornadoes or air raids.

Types of Sirens

Sirens on Emergency Vehicles

Vehicles used by firefighters (like fire trucks), police officers (police cars), and paramedics (ambulances) often have sirens. These sirens help warn people that the vehicle is coming. They tell other drivers to move out of the way safely. This helps emergency vehicles get to accidents or emergencies very quickly. It also helps prevent new accidents from happening.

Warning Sirens for Communities

Air Raid Sirens

During World War II, many cities had air raid sirens. These sirens would sound loudly to warn people when enemy planes were coming to drop bombs. After the war, many countries kept these sirens ready. This was because of the Cold War, a time when the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) had a very tense relationship from 1947 to 1991. People worried a new war might start.

Modern Warning Sirens

Today, weapons like bombs and missiles can be very fast and hard to spot. This makes it difficult to give a warning before they hit. Because of this, many countries now use their sirens for other important warnings. For example, in the United States, sirens often warn people about severe weather, like tornadoes or tsunamis. They are also used for emergencies near dams, chemical plants, or nuclear power stations.

Images for kids

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  Electronic Sirens Pavian by Telegrafia

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  A HSS Engineering TWS 295 electronic siren. This is part of a Civil Defense warning system.

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  There are 8,200 alarm sirens for civil protection across Switzerland. They are tested once a year, on the first Wednesday in February.

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  An 1860s-era siren.

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  This electrically powered cylinder siren warned the town of Lowestoft during World War Two.

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  A motor siren (a German E57 model).

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  An HLS electronic siren.

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  A Whelen electronic siren (WPS-2750) in Milpitas, CA.

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  A warning siren and emergency lights on a fire truck.

See also

In Spanish: Sirena (instrumento acústico) para niños