The Siren Board

So, given today's circumstances and the fears of a major war and perhaps nuclear warfare, would it be wise for large metropolitan areas that have dismantled their siren systems to reintroduce them once again? I have made a post a while back regarding a potential scenario of "sirenless" cities obtaining ones mounted on mobile trailers that could be rapidly deployed if needed, and now it seems like a very good reason to do so has come. I remain skeptical on the effectiveness of cell phone alerts, especially considering the threat of cyberwarfare and EMP attacks that can make them useless, sirens would be the last line of warning at this point. Question is, will it be worth it to undertake this effort introduce a new system? And will there be even enough time?

I really doubt a major war would break-out. As of now, it seems extremely redundant for various large metropolitan areas to have a system of sirens if there is no actual threat confirmed to the people in these areas.

There's pretty much no threat of nuclear war anytime soon. Even if Putin goes off his rocker and tells them to launch, the people in those silos are highly unlikely to do something that stupid. The only time nukes would be launched by them is if they genuinely believed nukes were heading for them. Nobody wants the world to end.

Bijay wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 2:49 am

I really doubt a major war would break-out. As of now, it seems extremely redundant for various large metropolitan areas to have a system of sirens if there is no actual threat confirmed to the people in these areas.

Snowpix wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:02 am

There's pretty much no threat of nuclear war anytime soon. Even if Putin goes off his rocker and tells them to launch, the people in those silos are highly unlikely to do something that stupid. The only time nukes would be launched by them is if they genuinely believed nukes were heading for them. Nobody wants the world to end.

I mean gee hope you are right. Because if he was that stupid enough to invade that country, then what could stop him from launching a nuclear attack? But that aside, hypothetically I'm wondering will cities actually take action to quickly set up a siren system if there was a reason to believe that the country might be at risk of an attack?

Putin can't launch the nukes himself, he can only give the order. It's entirely up to the people running the missile silos to decide whether to launch or not. And seeing as people have something called "self preservation" and "not wanting to die", it's unlikely that the people responsible for launching them would want to do so, and would likely refuse to follow those orders. Nobody wins a nuclear war, and they know that.

If a city or county place an order for sirens, it would take weeks for the sirens to be installed. And, I'm not sure if sirens with DC back up would be 100% EMP proof.

Hacksaw wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 5:26 pm

If a city or county place an order for sirens, it would take weeks for the sirens to be installed. And, I'm not sure if sirens with DC back up would be 100% EMP proof.

Depending on the urgency it could take less I think, also an EMP weapon from another continent will be delivered like in any other ballistic missile. So there should be ample time for warning before it reaches us as it will be seen as a move towards a preemptive nuclear strike.

All these modern sirens with their digital computer chips and radios are extremely susceptible to EMP blasts as most electronics are. EMP proofing them would be complicated and even more expensive. Sirens are still an essential part and should be installed in all major cities, especially for protection against terrorist nuclear attacks or dirty bombs and other emergencies like chemical attacks and natural disasters. The main reason major cities and nuclear plants too are abandoning large systems is because they value money and funding over human lives and dont have the funding or will to install siren systems.

jacob585 wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 02, 2022 2:20 pm

All these modern sirens with their digital computer chips and radios are extremely susceptible to EMP blasts as most electronics are. EMP proofing them would be complicated and even more expensive. Sirens are still an essential part and should be installed in all major cities, especially for protection against terrorist nuclear attacks or dirty bombs and other emergencies like chemical attacks and natural disasters. The main reason major cities and nuclear plants too are abandoning large systems is because they value money and funding over human lives and dont have the funding or will to install siren systems.

Then perhaps they should be constructed as simple as possible with components more resistive to EMPs like analog? Also cities can apply for FEMA grants like some have recently.

Ballistic missile technology has come along way since the cold war. Most nuclear weapons can be intercepted in a matter of minutes after they are launched.