If you were to walk outside your home right now and hear a steady alarm wailing from a nearby emergency vehicle, the sound is likely an evacuation siren. Various departments use these loud outdoor alarms to warn people of danger or sometimes simply as a practice drill. They can be found on everything from large-scale construction equipment to school buses, but all serve one important purpose: alerting people of potential emergencies.
Different sirens produce different sounds, which makes them useful in certain situations where another type would not fit. While many other models are available for sale online, they tend to fall into one of three general categories: rotating disc sirens, horn/strobe combinations, and electronic voice alert sirens.
The classic rotating disc type is a fairly standard model that has been in use for several decades and is still considered one of the best options available. The device uses an electric motor to spin the signal at a fixed speed, which creates a loud wailing noise. The other two types use various methods to produce sound alerts, but all three serve similar purposes.
How Evacuation Sirens Work
Evacuation sirens are crafted with specific sounds so they can be used by different agencies or organizations in unique situations where there’s a need for a quick warning system. This ensures that people will hear them and respond accordingly, whether because their house is on fire or they’re simply practicing for an upcoming drill.
The types of sirens used to depend on several factors, including the purpose of the alarm and how far it needs to carry. For example, a construction site where there’s a risk of collapse might use a loud rotating disc siren because it can be heard from quite a distance away – or even inside nearby buildings that are at risk of damage if the situation gets out control. A fire department might use an electronic voice alert model instead because all they need is to make sure people in their immediate vicinity know about the danger as quickly as possible (and those who hear them react accordingly). The sound alerts will travel much further than voices alone, but not as far as the other type.
Which Type Will Sound Best?
It’s important to note that different types of sirens will sound better in some scenarios than others. For example, the rotating disc model works best when there is a need for distance – which makes it perfect for construction sites where people could be quite a ways away from the area where the siren will be used. The electronic voice alert system does not carry as far, but it allows people who are inside nearby buildings to hear the alarm and react accordingly.
The horn/strobe combination type offers something entirely different: it has elements of both and can easily adapt to any type of situation since it can produce sounds at varying distances and volumes. While many companies tend to stick with one style or another, fire departments often use all three types.