Why are more than 2000 warning sirens sounding across France this Wednesday?

See my news
Follow News

This is usual, but since they have stopped several times this summer, it can be a little disconcerting. This Wednesday, October 2, 2024, warning sirensinstalled on the roofs of town halls or tall buildings, will resonate almost everywhere in France.

What is the national alert signal?

Basically, the signal that the sirens – located almost everywhere in France – emit makes it possible to warn the population of a “serious, imminent or ongoing danger”, as the Ministry of the Interior indicates on its website. .

We are talking here about natural risks, such as floods or the rupture of a dam, which would be likely to cause significant flooding, but also technological, chemical risks, etc. Attacks are not included in the system at the moment.

In short, we can schematize by saying that it is a bit of a tocsin of the 21st century, in a way. Hearing the sirens means, for the population, the need to seek safety and shelter.

Thanks to technology, these sirens are now connected to Population alert and information system (SAIP)which in addition to the sound signal, adds the dissemination of information via mobile telephony and television and radio media. This makes it possible “to specify the safety instructions to be followed in an emergency and to provide information on the evolution of the event,” explains the ministry.

So, is there a danger this Wednesday?

No. Not to our knowledge, at least. In fact, the sirens are tested every first Wednesday of the month, to be sure that everything is working properly in the event of a real alert.

Unlike the “real” signal, the sirens will sound this Wednesday for only 1 minute and 41 seconds. During a real alert, three cycles of 1 minute and 41 seconds follow one another.

Depending on the city, they do not sound at exactly the same time:

• At 11:45 a.m.: in the north of France, west and center.
• At 12 p.m.: Grand-Est, Burgundy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Var.
• At 12:15 p.m.: Corsica, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (except Var).

Why won’t all of France hear it?

Quite simply because not all municipalities are equipped with them at the moment. The system has a little more than 2100 sirens, counted for a previous articleactu.frYves Hocdé, deputy director in charge of crisis preparation, anticipation and management within the General Directorate of Civil Security and Crisis Management.

Only areas “identified as priority” are therefore concerned.

Other risk basins must still be equipped with this new system deployed since 2013. A call for projects has been launched to the installation of 1,000 new sirens. As a priority, “in areas presenting a risk of flooding, a nuclear risk or a risk of tsunami”, specifies Yves Hocdé.

What if the sirens sound three times, and it’s a real alert?

It is precisely to prepare for this eventuality that every first Wednesday of the month is accompanied by its little noise.

If the sirens sound outside the first Wednesday of the month, this means, as a general rule, that the population must “adopt reflex behavior in order to keep you safe and facilitate emergency response,” explains the ministry.

From there, it is recommended to:

• Join a building in order to protect yourself and find out about the exact nature of the crisis. “Depending on the situation, the authorities will tell you what action to take: protect yourself in a building or evacuate the dangerous area. »
• If the sirens sound, favor information from the antennas of Radio France, France Bleu, and the France Télévisions network.
• In the event of confinement requested by the authorities: stop the air conditioning, heating and ventilation, block openings (slots, doors, vents, chimneys, etc.) to protect against possible pollution of the atmosphere.
• Stay safe, do not pick up children from school or nursery.
• Evacuate only if ordered to do so by authorities.
• On the other hand, you should not stay in a vehicle, nor near windows, do not take the elevator, avoid calling so as not to saturate the network, etc.

The alert is not lifting only when you hear a continuous siren sound for 30 seconds.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.