Ripsaw Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Full Text Test of Public Warning Sirens - Saturday 12th February 2005 - Home Affairs Public Notice. As part of the final commissioning tests for the network of public warning sirens around the Isle of Man, a full test will take place at 11am on Saturday 12th February 2005. The test will comprise an “alert” and an “all clear” sounding of the sirens which are at 31 sites around the Island. The public warning sirens will be sounded at 11am, and they will run for a three minute cycle similar to that of a wartime “air raid” siren. The siren will then run down until it completely stops. The public warning sirens will then sound a steady note for fifteen seconds, signifying “all clear”. Local radio stations will be publicising the test throughout. Future routine tests will take place at 11am on the first Saturday in April, July, October and January and will simply be the sounding of the 15 second all clear signal. It is stressed that the commissioning test this Saturday will be of a full three minute sounding of the “alert” followed a short time later by a fifteen second “all clear”. Source. Please do not go on a looting spree this Saturday, it's only a test. And no running into old people's homes wearing a 1940's tin hat with a 'W' on the front shouting "Don't panic! Don't panic!". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy camper Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 That's ruined my plans for a peaceful hangover... Put that light out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutnut Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 no peaceful layin for me now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 What about the people who don't know about this? I hope that nobody panics and has a last mad 4 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Heh, maybe someone should watch the firestation in Ramsey to see how many firemen come belting down the road thinking it's a shout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidderwook Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Lets just hope that Osama doesn't attack on SAturday otherwise evryone will think it's a test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy camper Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Are we supposed to pretend it's real? Run like hell, get inside and listen to Manx Radio while eating tinned peas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posters Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I know of a couple who have a specially prepared shelter in the house, complete with generator, air purification, bottled water, loads of foood etc. The address is.............===========whoooosh /sounds of Bill running to the address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generation Terrorists Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 So i can't lead a mob into Douglas and loot all the shops? Shoot my dreams down why don't you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripsaw Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 "But darling, you can hear the sirens... This could be our last few minutes of life... You'll still have time to boil that egg afterwards" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I'm unclear what is the point of this exercise. AFAIK, they're testing the sirens. That's it. But the sirens won't save anyone. It's a 1940s solution. But during the blitz - people knew what to do when the sirens sounded; go to the shelters. IMO - this is about creating a local political impression that something is being done. It's part of a feel - good reaction to fear. As if we can actually do anything to save us from external events. So maybe it is aimed at making some people feel safer. It doesn't make us any safer. It's a game for the Civil Defence people and other interested parties. Granted the Civil Defence people provide useful support during storms, flooding and utilities outages - but they would be useless in the event of the unknown. Because the unknown is impossible to plan for. This is about people pretending that significant planning exists. When you have a fire drill for a building, for example, - then people know what they are supposed to do. IE - get out of the building according to the specified routes. And you aren't supposed to know that it's a drill. What exactly are we all supposed to do on Saturday? Most of us know that it's an exercise and will simply ignore it. Those who don't will probably wonder what's going on. Either way - it's pointless. And so would be the sirens in the event of a real catastrophic event. There is very little that we could do to save ourselves in the event of a catastrophic event which would affect us. None of us is ready or prepared to live underground for a year of more in the event of, say, a serious accident or attack at Windscale. And by the time we knew what was going on - it would be too late. Pretending that we have a plan for an unknown event is a bogus starting point of view IMO. Better to spend the money lobbying internationally for the causes of terrorism and environmental decay to be addressed. And refusing business from companies based in countries whose governments do not support an international UN based perspective with respect to the causes of poverty and environmental decay. And I won't be tuning into Manx Radio if the balloon ever really does go up. I don't trust them to not get the facts slightly, but crucially, wrong. Everytime I've heard them report a story which I know something about - well they've got it wrong. Or got their words wrong. I wouldn't trust them in a crisis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Please do not go on a looting spree this Saturday, it's only a test. And no running into old people's homes wearing a 1940's tin hat with a 'W' on the front shouting "Don't panic! Don't panic!". <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There's always one person that wants to spoil the fun! Wait till Mama Stav hears the sirens, I'll have painted her windows by then and I'll be shouting "lights out, lights out!" Stav. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutnut Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 hehehe now theres a idea..... Lets all have fun wear tin helmets with a big W on the front.... this place still thinks its in the 1940's so why not make the old maxie's happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste1205 Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Heh, maybe someone should watch the firestation in Ramsey to see how many firemen come belting down the road thinking it's a shout. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mission you jest. I remember before they took out the old warning sirens (about 10 years ago) they ran a test that was not well advertised. Firemen turned up at three fire stations wondering why their beepers had not gone off. I wonder who makes the decision to set these things off - I can just see them sitting in the war room at Downing Street thinking "I must let our man on the Isle of Man know that a plane has just landed on Sellafield" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripsaw Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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