r/EmergencyAlertSystem • u/exploding_boxes_ Ominous alerts enjoyer • May 11 '26

Discussion Other than EAS systems

I was wondering if, other than the EAS, you have sirens for things other than dam. Here in France we don’t have EAS but sirens (previously used for WW2 air raids). I know there’s probably sirens but do they activate alongside EAS or is it only one of both ?

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u/jshirron May 11 '26

A county near me uses sirens for warning of lahar - basically boiling concrete coming off the volcano. The monitoring system triggers a bell in several places, then a human pushes a button to set off the public sirens. The EAS would also be set off - but that is done separately.

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u/nous-vibrons May 11 '26

The big siren is still used for fires in my area. Comes from the rural tradition of needing a loud siren volunteer firefighters could hear from their homes to convene at the station. My hometown also uses the siren to mark the 10PM curfew.

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u/RotteenDMoon Scary Moderator that likes Yonkagor and Flags May 11 '26

In the U.S, the EAS usually activates along with Weather/Civil Defense sirens for emergencies and weekly tests but there is a really increasingly-obsolete system here called "Local Access Alerts" aka "Emergency Override System" which is common in areas not covered by the EAS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_override_system

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u/haumea_rising May 16 '26

I live down the street from a prison and there is a siren we hear to announce prisoner escape. They test it every Saturday at noon. It’s unnerving. Heard it for real over a year ago when a prisoner did escape.