Why the previously announced sirens will not sound on Wednesday. Raed Arafat's explanations
Raed Arafat, Photo: AGERPRES
The Department of Emergency Situations (DSU) has postponed the “Siren Wednesday” public alert exercise scheduled for this week, in the context of the security situation generated by the war in Iran. The head of the DSU, Raed Arafat, said on Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that the measure is a “normal” one, to avoid misinterpretations by the population.
“Our decision is to postpone, to inform better, to come up with a testing calendar that will be for the next period and at the time when we will be sure that the population has been correctly informed, of course leaving the situation in which we are now and in the current context to do these tests and to resume the testing of sirens, as it happens in other countries, as it happened in our country until the beginning of the pandemic period”, Arafat said, quoted by Radio Romania.
He specified that the sirens must be tested, because this exercise is part of the resilience and preparation of the population and the authorities must be sure that the sirens work.
“It is normal that in this period, given the situation, we avoid some interpretations or even some who do not know about the exercise and think that something is happening, to inform better and come back with the calendar in a while”, explained Arafat.
IGSU announces a new testing calendar
Previously, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) sent, on Tuesday morning, on Facebook, that the decision was taken “following an internal assessment of the current security context and the need for wider public information”.
“The decision was made deliberately and responsibly, based on an own analysis, which indicated that, in the current conditions, it is necessary to strengthen public communication, so that the purpose of the exercise is correctly understood at the level of the entire population,” the IGSU said.
The IGSU also explained that the postponement “does not change the need for periodic testing of the national public alarm system”.
“Technical inspection, constant maintenance and functional testing of sirens are institutional obligations, not options. A public warning system that is not regularly tested risks not working when it is needed. In a real-world situation, any malfunction can mean lost time, and lost time can mean endangered lives,” continued the Department of Emergency Situations.
The institution announced that, in the next period, a revised exercise calendar will be communicated, accompanied by additional public information measures.
“Preparing the population and maintaining the functionality of warning systems remain firm priorities. Protecting the lives and safety of citizens is non-negotiable,” the quoted post also reads.
