Alarme false
[edgtf_dropcaps type=”normal” color=”#d6a67c” background_color=””]D[/edgtf_dropcaps]e ceva vreme incoace orasul nostru are parte de un exercitiu practic in fiecare prima Miercuri a fiecarei luni. A inceput acum trei ani si sunt exercitii functionale. Este o practica comuna in tarile europene. O alarma de protectie civila este folosita pentru a oferi avertisment de urgenta catre popualtie de un pericol iminent. Este uneori sunata din nou pentru a indica ca pericolul a trecut. In Romania, sirenele de protectie civila au fost folosite inca din 1930.
De-a lungul Razboiului Rece, sirene mai mari realizate local au fost instalate pe diverse cladiri si resedinte. Sirenele puteau transmite o varietate comprehensibila de tonuri, fiecare cu o semnificatie diferita, precum un dezastru chimic, un cutremur, o inundatie sau un atac aerian/nuclear iminent; fiecare din aceste tonuri necesitau ca populatia fie sa se mute spre terenuri mai inalte sau intr-un adapost anti-atomic. Un semnal de “liber” se dadea cand perimetrul era considerat sigur pentru public.
Din 1990 sirenele de protectie civila au fost inlocuite de sirene electronice si procedura a fost simplificata. Din 2013 sunt patru tonuri: unul pentru dezastre naturale, un viitor atac aerian/nuclear, un atac aerian/nuclear iminent si un semnal “liber”. A te adaposti nu mai e o obligatie legala, desi adaposturile antiatomice sunt operationale.
In August 2017, autoritatile Romane au inceput acest exercitiu de testare a sirenelor. Primul exercitiu a avut loc pe 2 August 2017 si este programat in fiecare miercuri a fiecarei liuni, intre 10:00 si 11:00AM ora locala. Initial fiecare strada avea o mica sirena pe varful cladirilor mai inalte. Fiecare sirena era operata manual. In timpul celui de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial, sirenele aveau un ton continuu de a avertiza un atac aerian.
Sirenele erau abia auzite la inceput, dar de la inceperea exercitiului, sirenele devin din ce in ce mai zgomotoase. Si Acest exercitiu imi aminteste de povestile bunicii despre cel de-al doilea razboi mondial cand sirenele sunau si tatal ei lua copiii si ii ducea pe campurile de pe langa Bucuresti, acolo unde animalele domestice pasteau. Asta se intampla chiar in Bucuresti, capitala si pe atunci. Uneori cand locuiesti in capitala are multe efecte negative.
False Alarms
For a while now our city is doing a very practical exercise on every first Wednesday of the month. It started three years ago and they are a functional exercise. It’s common practice in most European countries. A civil defense siren is used to provide an emergency warning to the general population of approaching danger. It is sometimes sounded again to indicate the danger has passed. In Romania, civil defense sirens have been used since the early 1930s.
Throughout the Cold War, bigger sirens manufactured locally were installed on various public buildings and residences. The sirens were able to transmit a comprehensive variety of tones, each with a different meaning, such as a chemical disaster, an earthquake, a flood, or an imminent air/nuclear strike; each of these tones required the population to either move to higher ground or an ABC shelter. An ‘all clear’ signal was played after the area has been deemed safe for the general public.
Since the 1990s, civil defense sirens have been replaced by electronic sirens, and the procedure has been simplified. As of 2013, there are four playable tones: a natural disaster warning, an upcoming air/nuclear strike, an imminent air/nuclear strike, and an ‘all clear’ signal. Taking shelter is no longer a legal requirement, although ABC shelters are operational.
In August 2017, Romanian authorities started to perform monthly defence sirens tests. The first such test took place on 2 August 2017 and is scheduled to be repeated on the first Wednesday of each month, between 10:00 and 11:00 AM local time. Originally, each street had a small siren on top of high-rise buildings. Each siren could be powered mechanically. During World War II, the sirens had a single continuous tone to warn of an air strike.
The sirens were barely heard at first but since the exercise is happening, sirens are getting louder every day. And this practice reminds me of the stories my grandma told me about second world war when sirens would call out and her father would take the kids in the fields surrounding Bucharest, same place where animals would graze. This was happening in Bucharest, still a capital at the time. Sometimes living in the capital comes with a lot of downsides.
