Which Emergency Siren should you choose?

Posted by Extreme Tactical Dynamics on Jun 29th 2019

Emergency sirens, such as a police car siren, play a key part in the role and activity of every emergency response team from paramedics to the police. Sirens alert people that an emergency vehicle is approaching through oncoming traffic. As well as this, they signal to people at the scene of accident or incident that an emergency vehicle is on its way. Trained individuals can often also tell which emergency vehicle is on the route based purely on its siren and thus fully prepare for its arrival.

For this reason, and many others it is crucial that you do pick the right emergency siren for your vehicle. So, which siren should you choose? Here are a few of the factors to consider.

A Siren With All The Extra Tech

You do need to think about whether you want an emergency siren for your vehicle with all the extra possible tech that you can buy such as a speaker system. A speaker system may be beneficial if you want to make sure that the siren can be heard from miles away by other road users, pedestrians and those waiting at the scene of an incident. Typically, avoiding extra tech like this will be a matter of cost. You might also find that it is far more cost effective to purchase the speaker system separately rather than opt to get it with the siren that you are purchasing.

You can also get a cop siren with a built-in PA system. This provides another use for the siren amplifier as you will be able to talk directly into the microphone, uttering demands for road users and pedestrians to keep things safe, particularly if you are moving through heavy traffic. This can also prove to be a very effective tool if cars on the road are failing to move out of the way and clear a path for your emergency vehicle.

Some of the more modern sirens may also have beneficial features such as an instant on ability. This means that as soon as you switch the vehicle on the siren will start. It could help you save time and guarantee that people are alerted of the presence of your vehicle as quickly as possible using their ambulance siren.

The Right Operating System

There are various models of sirens available to purchase and each model has a different operating system. What does this mean? Some may have a toggle switch control box. This is a simple way to switch between the siren noises as well as switch it on or off. Others have remote systems that can be placed anywhere around the vehicle while still connected to the siren on the outside. You may also find that you can get a siren with a more hi-tech operating system. This will allow you to see the different siren sounds on a display screen and pick them with accuracy and ease. If you want to know more about how sirens operate, check out some of the main functions and sounds of a siren.

Siren Capabilities

We have already discussed an additional capability that you should consider in the form of a mic system for your siren. But you also need to look at the different noises that a siren can make. Some siren noises are going to be more beneficial for certain emergency vehicles compared to others. For instance, a Phaser siren may be the best option for security vehicles protecting valuable assets or first responders and are equipped with both yelp and wail sounds to help users move more easily through traffic.

Other sirens, such as a fire truck siren, or a police siren, have a greater range of different siren noises for different situations such as phaser, hi/lo and horn. Emergency vehicles tend to use each siren noise in a different situation. For instance, the siren used for speeding down a highway would not be the same for the one used when a vehicle is moving through heavy traffic. A high pitched siren is far more effective for making sure that vehicles in front do move out of the way.

200 Watt Emergency SirenThe Right Siren For The Right Emergency Vehicle

You should make sure you are choosing the ideal siren for the emergency vehicle that you are using. Not all siren features are going to be beneficial for every emergency vehicle user. Thinking about the PA system once more, this would certainly be useful for police officers who may need to communicate with pedestrians and indeed other road users, particularly when at the scene of an incident. Paramedics, on the other hand, will have no need for this type of tech and will mainly be focused on making sure they get through traffic as quickly and safely as possible.

You might also want to look at the sirens that are used by the other emergency responders in your area and match the siren to the right type of vehicle. If you are looking for a siren for a fire truck, it would be useful if it was the same one other fire trucks in the area were using to make sure that your truck could be recognized by the noise of a siren. This would comfort those in need and alert anyone on the scene that more help was on the way.

100 Watts Or 200 Watt Sirens?

You may have noticed that we sell both 100 Watt and 200 Watt sirens. What’s the difference? Are they more powerful? Simply put, a 200 Watt siren is twice as powerful as the typical 100 Watt siren. As such, one 200 Watt siren is the equivalent of getting two for your vehicle in one easy to use package. It is far louder, and many people would argue that it will be superior. Particularly, if you are keen to make sure that your siren has the widest reach possible when out on the road here.

However, before you immediately rush to buy one, you need to consider two factors. First, will your current set up and vehicle support a 200 Watt siren. Second, is it worth the extra cost? While these sirens tend to be more powerful, a 100 Watt siren is certainly loud enough to be heard by road users a good distance away from your vehicle.

We hope this helps you make the right choice when choosing your own emergency vehicle or police siren.

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