Public alarm exercise. The day and time when the alarms go off in Bucharest and in the country
On Wednesday, March 4, if you hear the alarms, don't panic. It's not another earthquake, and it doesn't herald a cataclysm. It's Sirens' Wednesday, a national alarm exercise, organized by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU). Such exercises have also taken place in past years, but in other periods. Now, it coincides both with the date on which the earthquake of 1977 is commemorated, but also with the state of tension caused by the war.
PHOTO Inquam Photos/ George Călin
Public alert exercise on March 4, in the morning
“Siren Wednesday”, as the public alarm exercise is called, will take place on March 4, in the first part of the day, between 10:00 and 11:00. Alarms will then ring throughout the country.
The following signals will be tested during the exercise:
- Airborne alarm – 15 sounds, 4 seconds each, with a 4 second pause between them
- Disaster alarm – five sounds, 16 seconds each, with a 10 second pause between them
- Air pre-alarm – three sounds, 32 seconds each, with a 12-second pause between them
- Cessation of the alarm – a continuous sound of the same intensity lasting two minutes
The authorities speak of several purposes:
- checking the operation of the sirens
- testing the reaction time of the authorities
- familiarization of the population with the alarm signals
The important thing to remember is that you don't have to do anything when you hear the sirens.
The announcement published by the mayor of a commune in Bacău county Source Facebook/Gabriel Orandaru
How many alarms work in Bucharest
There are 527 alarm sirens in Bucharest, but not all of them are functional. Of these, 254 are electric and 273 electronic.
Their distribution by sector looks like this:
Alarm sirens in Bucharest are located in several points in the city and are generally mounted on tall buildings or structures visible from a distance, so that they can cover the inhabited areas as well as possible. There is no map with their exact positions.
It is also important to know that not all sirens can be remotely activated by the authorities. Many have to be operated manually, on site.
In what cases are the sirens turned on?
Sirens are actually turned on, outside of exercises, if we are talking about serious situations, such as:
- Major natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, extreme weather phenomena, industrial accidents with risk to the population)
- Risk of air attack (in case of armed conflict or missiles/drones detected nearby)
After the danger has ceased, an audio signal is also transmitted.
