Does the UK Still Have Warning Sirens? Number of Sirens, Usage, and Benefits

The use of warning sirens dates back to the 18^th century. Centuries later, many countries are still using sirens to alert their people to an incoming hazard. What about the UK? Does the UK still have warning sirens?

This country has been utilizing advanced communication systems in its early warning system. However, the UK did not entirely abandon conventional communication methods. Therefore, the country combines sophisticated and traditional instruments for disseminating emergency warnings to its people.

The History Warning Sirens

Warning sirens are devices that produce a piercing sound and are used to alert people when there is an emergency. In 1799, John Robinson invented the first siren. The Scottish physicist invented this instrument by assembling a disk with holes and pipes.

To sound the sirens, he rotated the disk. This rotation interrupted the streams of air coming out of the pipes. Therefore, the overall process caused the air to vibrate, resulting in a piercing sound.

At that time, Robinson called this device a pneumatic whistle or revolving stopcock. The name ‘siren’ appeared in 1819 when Charles Cagniard de la Tour finalized the design of this device.

During World War I and World War II, many European countries, including the UK, used sirens for air raid alerts. When the enemy aircraft was approaching, these sirens emitted a particular tone to alert civilians. Moreover, after the plane had gone, the sirens created a different sound to indicate safety.

Does the UK Still Have Warning Sirens?

The early warning system in the UK has experienced major changes in recent decades. Its first EAS is the WB400 warning system. The objective of this system is to provide war-related alerts, such as air raid alerts and nuclear-bomb alerts.

The WB1400 warning system operated several communication methods, including warning sirens. However, the UK government discontinued this EAS in 1992.

The government then created a more modern EAS in 2013. The country is utilizing this system to this day. One of the best features of the UK early warning system is its wireless emergency alerts. The system can quickly broadcast alerts to numerous mobile phone users during an emergency.

However, the country doesn’t rely only on the wireless emergency alert system. It also uses warning sirens for alerting citizens.  Therefore, the answer to the question of ‘Does the UK still have warning sirens?’ is Yes.

According to the report, about 1,200 UK warning sirens remain in use after the discontinuation of the WB 1400 warning system. Why are there sirens in the UK? It is because the government needs these sirens for broadcasting flood warnings.

The Pros of Warning Sirens

Why does the UK still have the warning sirens? The country uses this instrument because it offers the following benefits.

1. Sirens can Reach Many People at Once

Warning sirens are loud. Therefore, alerting sound from this device can instantly reach many people in a spacious outdoor area. Consequently, people can instantaneously respond to these alerts.

2. Resilient

This communication channel is more resilient than TV or radio broadcasts and SMS alerts. Warning sirens are a stand-alone system. It doesn’t require satellite communication or cellular networks.

Therefore, authorities will still be able to communicate emergency alerts even when other communication channels are overloaded. As a result, people are aware of the emergency and are able to evacuate from the location.

3. Ideal for Outdoor Alerting

Sirens are ideal for outdoor alerting. Sirens allow the UK government warning to be heard by those who are in outdoor areas. These people are typically so busy that they cannot access particular communication channels, such as TVs, radios, and mobile phones.

However, thanks to the emergency warning sirens, they know that there is an emergency. Consequently, they can immediately seek shelter to save their lives.

4. Affordable

Emergency warning sirens are more affordable than other communication channels. Therefore, they are ideal for local governments that look for cost-effective instruments for their early warning systems.

The Cons of Warning Sirens

Despite those advantages, warning sirens have several drawbacks. Below are the disadvantages of utilizing warning sirens in EAS.

1. Lack of Emergency Information

Authorities can use warning sirens in various outdoor hazards, such as floods, tsunamis, and tornadoes. However, these instruments do not offer adequate information.

Some people may not be able to differentiate the tone meanings. Therefore, they don’t know the type of hazard they are facing. Moreover, alerts from these sirens do not contain information to help people respond to the hazard. 

2. Limited Indoor Coverage 

The piercing sound from a warning siren typically has limited indoor coverage. Therefore, people who are indoors may not hear the alerting sound. Consequently, authorities cannot rely on this instrument alone if they want to broadcast emergency alerts to as many people as possible.

Does the UK still have warning sirens? Yes, this country still has these sirens for flood warnings. However, the UK does not depend too much on this instrument because it has some drawbacks. This country combines it with cell broadcasters for wireless alerts. Other countries that want to adopt similar technology must visit smsbroadcaster.com.