{"id":3175,"date":"2015-08-05T00:17:13","date_gmt":"2015-08-05T00:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2015-08-05T00:20:22","modified_gmt":"2015-08-05T00:20:22","slug":"the-dutch-eerste-maandag-van-de-maand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/the-dutch-eerste-maandag-van-de-maand\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dutch Eerste Maandag van de Maand"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 \u00a0the montly test of the\u00a0Luchtalarm\u00a0<\/em>(air raid siren)!<\/p>\n

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\u00a0– 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\u00a0eerste maandag van de maand\u00a0<\/em>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!<\/p>\n

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Luchtalarm with a seagull (Image by Tim Geers at Flickr.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

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 <\/a>incident from\u00a02012 is an example.<\/p>\n

Last year, former Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten decided to terminate\u00a0the 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\u00a0people, especially 75-plussers\u00a0<\/em>(those above 75 years old)\u00a0cannot be reached this way.<\/p>\n

What do you think about terminating the siren?<\/p>\n

And what does your siren sound like?<\/p>\n

The sound of the siren. During the tests, it runs for 1 minute and 26 seconds.<\/p>\n