It is Monday, 11:59 am, the first Monday of the month. It is about to be noon. Every month again, these last 60 seconds are a countdown. Then, exactly at noon, it happens. Many are shocked for a moment, wondering what to do. Is this real? Or just another test? In the end, this happens every month – but what if it is real this time? They check for the time, the date… No, that cannot be a coincidence. This must be the montly test of the Luchtalarm (air raid siren)!
An air raid system in the Netherlands has existed already for a long time, such as those in the second world war. However, a new system was introduced in 1992 – the one that is still in use today with more than 4000 sirens in total. The testing started off with an annual test on the first Wednesday of June and monthly silent tests. The eerste maandag van de maand ritual has been ongoing since 2003. And now, everybody should be used to hearing the air raid siren on the first Monday of each month at noon. So if you visit the Netherlands – check your clock before freaking out!
Luchtalarm with a seagull (Image by Tim Geers at Flickr.com)
What if the siren rings at another time, or longer than it normally should? In that case, the government advises you to go inside, close all doors and windows, and switch on radio and TV. That will give you more information on what’s happening. It is also possible that a local alarm has been given, and only a few sirens are used to warn the people affected. It can be used in all kinds of danger, like air attacks, or hazardous chemicals that have escaped into the air. This incident from 2012 is an example.
Last year, former Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten decided to terminate the air raid siren system sometime in 2017. It is too expensive, as it costs 4 million euros a year. It would be replaced by text messages, cell phone notifications, TV and radio warnings. However, many people are concerned that very young and elderly people, especially 75-plussers (those above 75 years old) cannot be reached this way.
What do you think about terminating the siren?
And what does your siren sound like?
The sound of the siren. During the tests, it runs for 1 minute and 26 seconds.
Hi! I am Sten, both Dutch and German. For many years, I've written for the German and the Dutch blogs with a passion for everything related to language and culture. It's fascinating to reflect on my own culture, and in the process allow our readers to learn more about it! Besides blogging, I am a German-Dutch-English translator, animator and filmmaker.
Comments:
Meghan:
I loved this post! Months ago, I actually set an alarm on my iPhone that goes off 5 minutes before the luchtalarm, because it was giving me a mini-heart attack until I could remind myself it was the first Monday of the month. Now I see my alarm at 11:55, which reminds me to be thankful because the upcoming siren is just a test (and not the real thing), and my first Mondays are Noon are much less anxiety-ridden. 🙂
Johan:
The air raid test is much older than the 1990’s. When I was in primary school in the early seventies, we already heard the sirens each month. What changed is that the system was modernised in the nineties, replacing the air horns with huge loudspeakers.
Shannon:
Growing up in Hawaii, we too have a monthly air raid siren test, held on the first business day of each month. It warns for air raids, of course, but perhaps more likely, for tsunami. You have that minor heart hiccup when you hear it but then realize what day it is and think, “whew! Just a test”.
When I moved from Hawaii to Pennsylvania I had daily minor heart attacks because the PA fire houses have the exact same siren and those go off all the time. It took me years to hear it and not jump out of my skin.
It seems like something so fundamental to public safety should not be removed. Even with all our electronic options, the siren is a basic municipal service, like road repair.
Shouldn’t all options be considered when public safety is considered? Relying only on electronic means (internet, wireless networking) seems short-sighted; future hazards/threats have unknown impact to the electronic system. Manual workarounds could to be hooked up to the sirens, that could not to electronic options.
Comments:
Meghan:
I loved this post! Months ago, I actually set an alarm on my iPhone that goes off 5 minutes before the luchtalarm, because it was giving me a mini-heart attack until I could remind myself it was the first Monday of the month. Now I see my alarm at 11:55, which reminds me to be thankful because the upcoming siren is just a test (and not the real thing), and my first Mondays are Noon are much less anxiety-ridden. 🙂
Johan:
The air raid test is much older than the 1990’s. When I was in primary school in the early seventies, we already heard the sirens each month. What changed is that the system was modernised in the nineties, replacing the air horns with huge loudspeakers.
Shannon:
Growing up in Hawaii, we too have a monthly air raid siren test, held on the first business day of each month. It warns for air raids, of course, but perhaps more likely, for tsunami. You have that minor heart hiccup when you hear it but then realize what day it is and think, “whew! Just a test”.
When I moved from Hawaii to Pennsylvania I had daily minor heart attacks because the PA fire houses have the exact same siren and those go off all the time. It took me years to hear it and not jump out of my skin.
It seems like something so fundamental to public safety should not be removed. Even with all our electronic options, the siren is a basic municipal service, like road repair.
Shouldn’t all options be considered when public safety is considered? Relying only on electronic means (internet, wireless networking) seems short-sighted; future hazards/threats have unknown impact to the electronic system. Manual workarounds could to be hooked up to the sirens, that could not to electronic options.