In civil defense sirens, the ATI High-Power Speaker Station (HPSS) [1] is an electronic outdoor warning siren manufactured by Acoustic Technology, Inc (ATI) that is used to alert citizens of air raids, and natural disasters.
The recent HPSS systems use high-powered electronic speakers, which can be independently arranged to provide directional or omnidirectional coverage, depending on installation. The HPSS16 have 4 speakers and the HPSS32 have 8 speakers. They can also be used as public announcement (PA) systems, and can play a number of programmed tones. Options include solar-powered operation pre-recorded voice messages. ATI also sold rotational units of the HPSS16, and HPSS32, called the "HPSS16R" and "HPSS32R", that are now discontinued.
A civil defense siren is a siren used to provide an emergency population warning to the general population of approaching danger. Initially designed to warn city dwellers of air raids during World War II, they were later used to warn of nuclear attack and natural disasters, such as tornadoes. The generalized nature of sirens led to many of them being replaced with more specific warnings, such as the broadcast-based Emergency Alert System and the Cell Broadcast-based Wireless Emergency Alerts and EU-Alert mobile technologies.
CONELRAD was a method of emergency broadcasting to the public of the United States in the event of enemy attack during the Cold War. It was intended to allow continuous broadcast of civil defense information to the public using radio stations, while rapidly switching the transmitter stations to make the broadcasts unsuitable for Soviet bombers that might attempt to home in on the signals.
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite and broadcast television and AM, FM and satellite radio. Informally, Emergency Alert System is sometimes conflated with its mobile phone counterpart Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), a different but related system. However, both the EAS and WEA, among other systems, are coordinated under the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). The EAS, and more broadly IPAWS, allows federal, state, and local authorities to efficiently broadcast emergency alert and warning messages across multiple channels. The EAS became operational on January 1, 1997, after being approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in November 1994, replacing the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), and largely supplanted Local Access Alert systems, though Local Access Alert systems are still used from time to time. Its main improvement over the EBS, and perhaps its most distinctive feature, is its application of a digitally encoded audio signal known as Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME), which is responsible for the characteristic "screeching" or "chirping" sounds at the start and end of each message. The first signal is the "header" which encodes, among other information, the alert type and locations, or the specific area that should receive the message. The last short burst marks the end-of-message. These signals are read by specialized encoder-decoder equipment. This design allows for automated station-to-station relay of alerts to only the area the alert was intended for.
A long-range acoustic device (LRAD), acoustic hailing device (AHD) or sound cannon is a specialized loudspeaker that produces sound at high power for communicating at a distance. It has been used as a method of crowd control, which has caused permanent hearing damage, having an extremely high decibel capacity. Other uses have included for negotiations in siege situations; to deal with piracy at sea; for mass notification during natural disasters or other emergencies; and by defense forces, including several navies.
A siren is a loud noise-making device. Civil defense sirens are mounted in fixed locations and used to warn of natural disasters or attacks. Sirens are used on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars, and fire engines. There are two general types: mechanical and electronic.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System was set up to provide warning to inhabitants of nations bordering the Indian Ocean of approaching tsunamis. The tsunami warning system has been in use since the mid-2000s.
An emergency population warning, or public warning system is a method where by local, regional, or national authorities can contact or notify members of the public to warn them of an impending emergency. These warnings may be necessary for a number of reasons, including:
The Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) is a warning siren used in Australia to alert the public of danger. The siren is played over radio, television or public address systems in public places to warn of bushfire, flood, cyclone, tsunami, earthquake or terrorist attack.
HPSS may refer to:
Federal Signal Modulators are electronic warning devices produced by Federal Signal Corporation that are used to alert the public about tornadoes, severe weather, earthquakes, fires, lahars, tsunamis, or any other disaster. They are identified mostly by their distinctive stacked "flying saucer" design. The Modulator II is sold based on the more compact chassis of the siren compared to the original Modulators.
The National Warning System (NAWAS) is an automated telephone system used to convey warnings to United States–based federal, state and local governments, as well as the military and civilian population. The original mission of NAWAS was to warn of an imminent enemy attack or an actual accidental missile launch upon the United States. NAWAS still supports this mission but the emphasis is on natural and technological disasters. Organizations are able to disseminate and coordinate emergency alerts and warning messages through NAWAS and other public systems by means of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
The Whelen Engineering Company is an American corporation that designs and manufactures audio and visual warning equipment for automotive, aviation, and mass notification industries worldwide. Founded in a Deep River, Connecticut garage in 1952, Whelen has become a provider of warning lights, white illumination lighting, sirens, and controllers. Whelen products are designed, manufactured, and assembled in two facilities in Chester, Connecticut and Charlestown, New Hampshire.
SiraTone was a brand of electronic outdoor warning sirens produced by Federal Signal Corporation which began production in the early 1980s. These sirens were designed to broadcast high-intensity warning signals over a large area. SiraTone products are/were used for natural disaster notification, HAZMAT incident notification, fire call systems, and more. The SiraTone product line is no longer in production. The product line was succeeded by the Modulator and DSA electronic outdoor warning sirens.
The Mount Rainier Volcano Lahar Warning System consists of two separate components, operating in tandem: Acoustic Flow Monitors (AFM) and the All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) sirens. The AFM system was developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 1998 and is now maintained by Pierce County Emergency Management. The purpose of the warning system is to assist in the evacuation of residents in the river valleys around Mount Rainier, a volcano in Washington, in the event of a lahar. Pierce County works in partnership with the USGS, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), Washington Military Department's Emergency Management Division, and South Sound 9-1-1 to monitor and operate the system.
American Signal Corporation (ASC) is an outdoor warning siren and mass notification company in the United States. ASC was founded in 1873 as Biersach and Niedermeyer (B&N). After performing poorly, the company reformed as Alerting Communicators of America (ACA) in 1968, and expanded the line of warning systems they produced. In 1992, ACA went bankrupt and was bought and reformed as the American Signal Corporation.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), and prior to that as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN), is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency alerts to cell phones using Cell Broadcast technology. Organizations are able to disseminate and coordinate emergency alerts and warning messages through WEA and other public systems by means of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
The Public Warning System (PWS) is a network of civil defense sirens installed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force on over 2,000 strategic points in Singapore to warn Singaporeans of impending dangers, air raids and atomic bomb blasts. Thus far, the siren network has only been used for occasional public awareness drills, monthly noon chimes and for commemorating the island's Total Defence (February 15) and Civil Defence Days (September 15). It was also used to mark a minute's silence nationwide for the passing of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on the evening of 23 March 2015 and on 1 and 9 August 2020 to mark the first National Day at home.
The Federal Signal Model 2 is an omnidirectional outdoor warning siren produced by Federal Signal Corporation.
Canadian Line Materials LTD. (CLM) was a Canadian siren manufacturing company which built civil defense sirens. These sirens were built and installed all over Canada to warn residents and military about incoming nuclear attacks from the USSR during the Cold War.
The Thunderbolt is a mechanical outdoor warning siren that was manufactured by Federal Signal Corporation from 1951 until its production ended in 1991. It is a unidirectional, rotating siren with a large square-shaped horn, and can come in various colors, usually yellow, by request.
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