The nuclear power plant I work beside tested their sirens today. A few observations:

-i was the only one who knew what it was at first
-our office recieved no notice about it
-small notices ran in the local community paper (residential not commercial/business distribution)
-most of the offices and wharehouses around us emptied as people congregated in the parking lots to figure out what was going on
-at the first blast, a co-worker assumed it was a test and told us to ignore it
-another co-worker had no idea what to do if it was real
-another said an accident could never happen and the alarms are a waste of money
-at least onr small office next door contemplated evacuation but called 911 first and confirmed the test

I'd like to think that there'd be more to these annual tests than mere electronics. Seems like a great opportunity for public education wasted.

You're joking, right?

HJ

I wish I was Jim. Ignorance is bliss for some people I guess.

I just heard a news report saying that some of the neighbours think the sirens are too loud! This article is a little dated but gives you thr gist:


http://www.electricityforum.com/news/feb05/Pickeringsirens.html

I guess it depends on where they are installed. If one is installed right next to your window and they test it twice a year, it could be somewhat of a nuisance. It's nice to have it loud enough so you can hear it many blocks away, but less nice if you live right next to the thing that other people hear from many blocks away.

This explains the siren system in more detail, including why they need to be so loud.

http://www.durham.ca/print.asp?nr=/depar...s/papFooter.inc

I beginning to suspect that the sirens were perhaps not a test but were tripped out by the radiation fallout.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=229952#Post229952

When I was in school at Clemson, they tested the warning sirens once a month, on Saturday mornings (I figured it was a mean joke on all the college students). Nuclear plant was ~10 miles away. Not really a big mystery what it was, they made sure everyone knew, but it happened often enough there was no way you wouldn't know what it was. I always did wonder if they would use it for a tornado.

I guess those are the same people who don't think they need to carry a whistle. After all, as long as someone else is right beside them when they get lost or injured, they could tell them, right? It's when distance is involved that things get trickier.

Some people don't even make the effort to think.

Sue

This test was announced at least as early as Aug 5th. They last tested back in May but I don't recall hearing them then.