Aviva Fried / Photo credit: Apu GOMES / AFP
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09:02, August 18, 2023
After having made you discover the key professions of the summer season, Europe 1 immerses you this week in an auditory series. Close your eyes and open your ears to discover the sounds of cities around the world. For this fourth episode, meet under the Californian sun, in Los Angeles where the sirens of emergency vehicles never stop.
Open the way
Because night and day, car traffic in the city of angels never stops and remains dense. No choice for firefighters, paramedics and police but to use their sirens to make their way. Emergency alarms are often the first thing you hear in Los Angeles when you get there. A daily soundtrack, reminiscent of the action films that Los Angeles knows how to offer the world.
But if the tourists are amazed, the Angelinos don’t pay much attention to it anymore. “Honestly, my mind makes me ignore all those noises,” says Chris, who has lived in the California town for 18 years. “Especially since I think they have an impact on people’s mental and physical health,” he adds.
Sirens not always reassuring
For Antonio, the discomfort is even greater: “Generally, for a person of color, sirens are not a good sign. Whether you have done something or not, they do not bring much comfort”, analyzes – he, after almost 25 years living in Los Angeles.
Comforting or not, the sirens of Los Angeles continue to sound like an action movie that never ends.