This Thursday, May 2, 2024, firefighter alarm sirens will sound throughout France. If usually it is the first Wednesday of each month that these tests are done, this month the date has changed for an exceptional reason. We explain why.
Do not panic ! Don’t be surprised if you hear the alarm sirens activated throughout France this Thursday, May 2, 2024. Indeed, while this monthly Population Alert and Information System (SAIP) test is usually carried out every first Wednesday of the month, May this year is an exception! If it is customary to hear this signal resonate in all fire stations in France every first Wednesday of the month, this Wednesday, May 1, 2024, no alarm was activated.
And for good reason, it is quite simply Labor Day, a public holiday in France. A measure that had already been taken a few months ago when All Saints’ Day, a public holiday, also fell on the first Wednesday of the month. Manual triggering of more than 2,133 alarm sirens throughout France, the sole purpose of which is to ensure that all sirens operate correctly in the event of a real alert. A necessity for the security of the country in order to protect its population in the event of war, attack or natural disaster for example.
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What is the real warning sign?
The tests carried out every first Wednesday of the month are different from the alert that would be given if necessary. Each monthly test lasts precisely one minute and 41 seconds allowing the sirens to rise to their maximum power in order to be heard by everyone before gradually coming down. The alert signal is made up of three similar sequences, one minute and 41 seconds, interspersed with pauses of silence of five seconds each and finally an end of alert sequence which lasts 30 seconds.
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A timing carefully studied by the Population Alert and Information System (SAIP) which, if it is understood, must be followed by the following safety instructions: sheltering as quickly as possible inside the building or evacuation of risk areas in order to facilitate emergency intervention if necessary and to reduce the risk of potential impacts.
An implementation since the Second World War
It was after the Second World War that the government decided to adopt this alert which allows the population to be warned of the potential dangers or consequences of imminent serious events. A defense called “passive» which must be triggered manually and locally by the mayors of towns and villages. It is still important to note that if events of the natural disaster type (floods, earthquakes, etc.) are concerned as well as technological, health or even air incidents, attacks are not included in the alert system.
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So, don’t be afraid if you hear the alarm sirens this Thursday, May 2, 2024, it is simply the usual test which has been postponed.
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