The monthly test of alert sirens, scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month, is postponed to November 8 due to the public holiday this Wednesday. An opportunity to remind you what these sirens are for and what to do if they sound.
The monthly tests of the population alert sirens are postponed until November 8 due to the public holiday. The opportunity to take stock of this system and the instructions to follow in the event of a trigger.
Every first Wednesday of the month, you hear the warning sirens ringing in your town. This Wednesday, November 1, they will not resonate: “Due to the public holiday, the monthly tests have been postponed to the following Wednesday, November 8,” reveals in a press release the prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne. This report is valid throughout the Occitanie region.
These tests, which are the responsibility of the State, municipalities and industrial establishments other than hydraulic developments, have been part of our soundscape since the Second World War. At the time, the SAIP, a warning and information system for populations, aimed to prevent air attacks.
Since then, the sirens have been integrated into a larger system which allows the broadcasting of a message from the authorities during a serious event, a natural or industrial disaster or even a terrorist attack. They notably sounded in Toulouse during the explosion of the AZF factory on September 21, 2001.
The SIAP was triggered in September 2001, during the explosion at the AZF factory, which left 30 dead in Toulouse. • © MAXPPP
Its triggering is the responsibility of the mayor, the prefect, or even the Ministry of the Interior. Citizens are informed of the event by sirens but also by broadcasting SMS messages via mobile telephone operators and of course the media, television and radio.
If an alert is triggered, outside of exercise, it is essential to follow the instructions:
Confine yourself to an enclosed area, carefully sealing the openings. Stop ventilation, air conditioning and heating. Listen to the radio. Specific instructions are also applicable for each risk. An example: in the event of a risk of dam failure, you must reach a high point in the municipality.
Certain actions should absolutely be avoided:
Stay in your vehicle. Pick up the children from school. Clutter telephone networks, essential for emergency services. Open the windows to see what’s going on. Leave your shelter without the green light from the authorities.
Finally, if the monthly tests last 1 minute and 41 seconds each 1st Wednesday of the month, for a real alert, this sequence will be renewed three times. The end of the alert is recognizable by a continuous sound for 30 seconds. For more information see your prefecture’s website.
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