Life in the Netherlands. No one warned us about this!!

Life in the Netherlands. No one warned us about this!! When we moved to the Netherlands from the US, we didn't expect that air raid sirens would sound off the first Monday of every month at noon. What's it like to stand under one...check it out!

[@TerryVogelaar]

I remember how my daughter freaked out when she heard the air alarm as a toddler. But when she was a bit older, she wanted to dress up as an air alarm, and join them by standing on the roof to scream her lungs out.

[@jannetteberends8730]

That’s so sweet.

[@SwirlingSoul]

creative kid! :D

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

lol lol lol

[@nuuwnhuus]

Hahaha that is amazing

[@rmyikzelf5604]

Hahaha that's brilliant 😂

[@Matriarch456]

i was once walking past a playground with children from various backgrounds when the testalarm went off. the dutch kids kept playing but other kids were lying on the ground covering their heads and it broke my heart cuz they had lived thru a war and were traumatised for the rest of their lives. Its important that refugees are told about the alarm and what it is for .

[@AlexK-yr2th]

Yes they should but at the same time, very fast, they learn that there are safe countries where alarms go off and it doesn't mean havoc or misery. Not everything needs to be spoon fed or hands need to be held. People, and specially children, are very resilient and not everything that is out of the ordinary causes a trauma, needs counselling or you need to pop a pill.

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

Born 1964 in Denmark; growing up they tested the sirenes EVERY Wednesday at noon. Now they only test once a year. I causes confusion! I think I'd prefer the Dutch version, as I live very close to two chemical factories, and they've been in use because there was a fire on one. The sirenes mean: "go indoors, close all doors and windows, and turn on the news" NOW!

[@8alakai8]

means the same in the netherlands

[@wisecat.]

My parents never really told me what the siren exactly was. I never asked. The siren is just there. I wasn't scared because I saw that everyone's at ease, reacting calmly to the alarm. When I went to elementary school the teacher told us the history and what's the siren exactly for and what the plan is if it goes off at another time. I just thought, ohh that's what it's for. The teacher was not suprised by the reaction because she reacted the same when she was young. For most dutch people the siren has always been there. We are so used to it.

[@WatZouJeHiervanVinden]

same here. it just was there and never mention it.

[@zusannehobers2488]

Same here. No stress, business as usual😉

[@helgavanraam29]

same here.

[@ritatoorenburg9451]

Same here

[@dirkmeijer996]

Same here

[@Bruintjebeer6]

The plan is to go inside, close your doors and windows and listen to the local radio to know what to do next. The government also advices to have a survival package at home with first necessities and water. It happens when there is a disaster or a war brakes out.

[@jeffafa3096]

Local radio is a bit outdated now, but you should definitely check the local media. Usually you will find online reports on regional newspapers' websites.

[@Bruintjebeer6]

@@jeffafa3096 yes you can that as well but you forget that a lot of older people have nothing comes computers and smartphones It is the same reason the siren still goes of. They are talking for years to only use amber alert. One I had dinner at a restaurant on the beach with my family. Sudden all phones went of with an amber alert telling is not go into the water anymore because of strong under current The other people where totally in shock and did not understand what was happening I'm older as well but I work with computers since the first one came out that you could use at home . Under babyboomer that is not common and for people born before the war for sure not. So these people have to die of first before you can scrap that.

[@Ingescreativeworld]

⁠it is not outdated, was on the news recently, when a big power fail happens for several days you’re best chance on information is you’re local radio, every province has a dedicated station that should give out advice what to do. Government advises to always make sure you gave a battery operated radio for emergencies

[@Ingescreativeworld]

@@jeffafa3096 no advise is to listen to radio rijnmond in Rotterdam. They have a generator so they can produce electricity in case of a power outage. Internet will be gone soon because the 4g masts can only last 24 hours without electricity before it goes black

[@janaaj1an889]

I remember these in school in the mid-50's. We had to crawl under our desks.

[@QuartzNL]

Growing up in the sixties and seventies, and actually throughout most of the eighties, these were still roundly referred to as 'air raid sirens'. We're talking an era when WWII was a not too distant memory and the threats of the Cold War were still very vivid and real. During those years, there were still leaflets in the house describing how to shield yourself against radiation, and you had access to emergency iodine tablets, which were dispensed regularly. Very, very real threats. Later on, there was much more emphasis on these being tests for a general emergency system. If the sirens went off (esp. in Rotterdam, with the port and the petrochemical industry nearby) during another time of the day, you were supposed to get inside (anywhere), close windows and doors, close ventilation systems, and tune into the emergency broadcaster (in Rotterdam: Radio/TV Rijnmond) immediately. Basically: hide and wait for instructions. I remember only one such event, which was in the seventies. Two ships collided in the Maas (roughly where the Erasmus Bridge is now; my parents lived there before the bridge was there, on the actual river) and there was a huge fuel spill. Lighting a cigarette anywhere in that area would have been disastrous. Not much has changed in that respect (hide and wait), but the feeling is very different nowadays. Also, in Rotterdam, it is not uncommon to hear a police car with a roof-mounted megaphone driving around in a neighborhood to warn about a very local problem; like around the river areas when the water is expected to be extremely high. You get told, loudly, that it's best to move your car and sandbag your doors. They don't use the sirens for that. Still startling..

[@ShatteredQT]

I don't remember exactly what the criteria are, but I know I still got iodine tablets (send to me for free) because I have a young child, and live within a certain distance to a nuclear facility (think it's 100km or something like that). So in a way, that hasn't changed, just the reason has (no longer fear of nuclear attacks, but in case of an accident)

[@ThelemicMagick]

One more fine example of the third/fourth most liked comment being the most worthwhile 😉

[@albertlay8927]

I think these monthly tests are useful. I understand that they're primarily meant to check if the sirens are still working. If there is an actual disaster, you'd want them to work. The combination of the sirens and the NL Alert app is very effective. Also it's always fun to see tourists looking for clean underwear. I myself don't have a plan, but all municipalities have a "rampenplan", a disasterplan, where the towns, emergency services etc know exactly who has to do what and where and how etc, who is in charge, which buildings will serve as shelters, etc., all this in a regional cooperation. The cities and services regularly "dry exercise" these plans, without troubling the public. When I was a child, there were elderly people who had lived through WWII and some were still traumatized. I remember one time, I was walking our dog when the alarm went off and an elderly woman panicked, looking for a place to hide and urged me to seek cover, 'cause the bombs were coming. That was sad.

[@bentels5340]

Not quite -- for reliability testing, once a year is enough. In fact, several years ago, they switched to that. But they noticed people started forgetting what to do if the sirens went off. So they had a re-education campaign with ads on TV and went back to monthly testing.

[@gilles111]

Not for testing the function of the system but to keep the people aware of the system and the meaning of the sound. So people are aware that if they hear the system and it isn't the first monday of the month at noon they know there is something wrong and they need to get shelter.

[@albertlay8927]

@@gilles111 Actually it's both: testing the system and keeping the people aware.

[@patriciapoot1180]

The alarm has gone off in Vlaardingen. Being so close to Europort we have had issues with air quality. Turn on the tv to tv Rijnmond for further instructions. Close windows, stay inside etc. Shops, schools, etc have closed. Another time the water system was contaminated, road construction cut into a sewerline contaminating drinking water. Everyone living in Nederland should have the Emergency alert on their telephone. When a situation arises you are notified by a loud alarm on your telephone with a link for further instructions

[@janwielklem]

As a teacher I always forget about the alarm testing until it’s disrupting my quiet class. There is always a smart kid saying: what if they attack us on the first Monday at 12:00 and everyone thinks it’s a test?

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

lol lol lol…give him an A…that’s a smart kid Eric

[@nicollevisser8141]

And you said when it is longer than 1.26 than we start panicking

[@margreetanceaux3906]

I’m 70, born and raised in Rotterdam. My parents were both 21 when WW2 started. During the bombardment my dad was enlisted in the army, but my mom was in Rotterdam. She did her best not to engrain hér fears in my tiny soul, but I’ll never forget her fear, also when planes flew over our house, at a relatively low altitude. Between 1990 en 2000 I was with the municipal / city hall team of press officers, and we were trained for situations in which the alarm might be needed. In my lifetime it was only used locally, like for a chemical fire in Rotterdam-West. And hopefully we will never know what it’s like, if all of the city is ‘under alarm’.

[@Dutch-linux]

If it goes off in the middle of the month run and scream and kiss your butt goodbye 🤣

[@corjp]

My mother lived through WWII and every time that sirene went off she ducked but stood up right away and try to be brave and tell me and my sister that she hoped that we would never experience the same fear she had through out WWII.

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

That is an awesome story…thanks for sharing Eric

[@williamgeardener2509]

My parents never talked about the war. They went through it and continued their life when the war was over. As to the sirens; they said that when we heard them on any other time than on the first Monday of the month, we had to come home as quickly as possible. No reasons why, no explanation. Just "Come home." And since this was in the 1960's, we would obey, because we knew that if we didn't, we'd suffer a fate much worse than death.

[@dirkdemeirleir264]

In Belgium they test the sirens every first Thursday of the month. There are sirens in towns who can have an impact from for example toxic fumes from some factory in the region (Seveso risk factories). I live in an industrial area in the port of Ghent, so I hear the testing every month at noon. The sirens have been supplemented now by a text message system on your portable phone, that is if you subscribe to it. 2 years ago the sirens went off on an other day than first Thursday because of a fire in a chemical plant not far away and I received a message describing the issue and potential danger and the advice to go inside and close all windows, which I did after warning my elderly neigbours to do the same. After a few hours I received an all clear message.

[@JaapGinder]

I don't know anymore when, maybe around the 90's or beginning of the century, there was decided that the sirenes could be tested without sounding. They tried that for a year or so and found out that wasn't working: they tried after a year or so to do a real test, a lot of the sirenes seemed to be dead/not working anymore. Then was decided to continue testing with sound, after repairing a lot of the sirenes. When the sirenes sound on a normal day, you go in your house, listen to local radio, TV, or check your phone fot the NL Alert, to hear what to do next. It's common knowledge, although I doubt about a lot of people...

[@aislingbooks]

When I first immigrated to the NL my man, then partner, forgot to tell me about the alarms. What flashed through my mind when I first heard them was 'The War of the Worlds'. They are jarring still but useful, particularly as we're a 'sleutelland', strategically placed as a key country to trade with and pass through be it air, land or water transport and travel. And with the current unrest in the Middle East and Ukraine I'm glad we have such sirens in place. As far as where to seek shelter if war would break out on our soil the best place is home. Tammy's also right about the NL phone alerts. They're both efficient to reach a large group of people and handy to grab one's immediate attention.

[@margotpino8730]

Born and raised in the Netherlands, my father’s brother( survived the holocaust) emigrated after WW2 to the USA , so I grew up listening to the sirens, l knew what they had meant during WW2,so it always reminds me of my parents , ❤ by the way love your videos 😊

[@biancawichard4057]

about 2 years ago did hear the alarm but from alarms farther away, i phoned the city emergency number and 1.5 hourde later an engineer rang my bell to thank me for the alarm had actually broke down and he had to reset it and test again and it worked. is a nice feeling if i hear it on the not usual time i try to get indoor asap and when im at home i close my windows and door. i cant remember how it was taught to me for its so normal that you dont think about it (at least i dont)

[@user-wp7zn8ii5u]

We have one that goes off once a month (1st Saturday at noon) in Michigan, it is for tornadoes. If it goes off any other time I head for the basement because one has been sighted. I enjoy your videos immensely. 😊

[@BlacksmithTWD]

Well at least with a tornado there is less risk it will plan to come to Michigan exactly at 1th saturday noon so people will think it's just the testing of the alarm.

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you so much. Eric

[@DenUitvreter]

I think standard advised procedure in case of the sirens is go inside and put on radio or tv for further information what to do. I got the emergency text once because there was a fire close by with toxic fumes, so I closed the windows and the ventilation and UI went over to the neighbours who were still much more fluent in Chinese than Dutch back then to tell them what to do. The Dutch neighbour with his doors wide open I just shouted at.

[@jeremyoliviervoice]

It's great to see you two again on videos. In Minnesota, the alert sirens were pretty much once a month. It's been a while for me, but I believe it's the first Wednesday of every month at noon. Nothing here in South Korea for a regular siren that I've noticed so far. Could we see a video of your neighborhood area?

[@charleneakse5606]

A few years ago we were renovating our first home and we had taken out at least about 8 windowpanels out of the windows to paint them when the alarm went off. I think it was mid summer, not on the first Monday of the month. And the advise accompanying that alarm is: close all windows and put on the radio. I pretty panicked, because I was alone in the house and couldn't put the freshly painted windowpanels back in the windows! 😱😱😱 And the radio didn't say anything about a disaster happening! It turned out to be a false alarm. I didn't think that was funny! 😱😱😱

[@tubularap]

No drill, no memorial. It's just an alarm that goes off every month, and because it is always at noon on the first Monday of the month, there is no worry. In my living memory the alarm has never gone off at another time, or for a real reason. Because of that it is just a monthly reminder that the alarm works, so it should not be surprising that nobody flinches when it starts to blare. Compare it to an ambulance or firetruck sounding the alarm while rushing through the street. You take it as a reminder that the system works.

[@Dutch-linux]

Ok seriously when it goes off when it is not the normal time for it keep an eye on your cellphone you will get a NL-ALert with instructions or turn on the news

[@Mike-zx1kx]

Dane here. We have same type of public alarm system. Here we though test it once a year. I do not how how it are in the Netherlands but would guess it also have different signals for different situations. One thing are its original use as air warnings for bombings during war. Here it also have a generic signal that means go inside, close doors and windows and listen to Program 3 (most listened to) radio, turn on TV for information. We also have a website and a certain TEXT TV page with information about actual cause for it going of. Another signal means evacuate. The signal today, besides the yearly test, will be in use typically if there are floods or fires developing potential dangerous smoke. Then signal will go off in affected area only. It were in use in Denmark locally only last month where we had a sea level rise some places over 2 metres above normal. Some cities had to put up temporary flood barriers and in one city these were breached around midnight and signals were used to warn (and wake up) people to either evacuate immediately or seek higher ground. Parts of the city DID get flooded and signals DID warn people and no one died. Some areas had higher waterlevels than had been recorded in 125 years. Since it are tested regularly you naturally tell your children in advance when very small and put on more and more information as they grow. Before the internet all telephone books, were distributed to entire population for free with some years between, had around 10 dedicated pages with description of the different signals and what they meant, including basic ways to respond if subjected to chemical attacks, nuclear attacks etc etc. Also information about what mandates different kinds of nationwide states of emergency meant etc. Most European nations have some kind of civil defence force and these have absolutely no powers in peacetime but that can change in a state of emergency.

[@peterkeijsers489]

Not from the sirens, but my mom (aged 91 now - she was 8 when the war started) still ducks a little whenever she hears a propeller plane. In the war we had a military basis on the edge of town - the biggest German airbase outside Germany.

[@batifoleurs]

The first alarm tones of the sirenes means alert. Than the silence and the next tones, means no alert. I was told they go off every month to make sure they work.

[@eddys.3524]

Those sirens started out as an airraid warning during the Cold War. They were operated by the BB, Bescherming Bevolking (1952 - 1981), a non-military organization tasked with the practical protection of the civilian population in case of war. After 1981 the sirens remained as a general alarm in case of emergencies. In the '50ies and 60ies it was usualy the parents that explained the meaning of the alarm and what to do. I never experienced (can't remember) any drills in school except the occasional fire-drill. In those days there were several public bomb-shelters all over the city, even in Metro station Beurs was a nuke-proof shelter. After the Cold war ended all those facilities were closed down.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I lived right next to the old model warning siren. That thing was even louder. My parents just told me that it was a warning in case of war and that the best place to hide was under the stairs. They saw a lot of bombed houses in WW2 (my father was a foced laborer in Berlin) and apparently the stairs were the most sturdy, I guess. I told my son the same and that it is now also for disasters in the neighbourhood. I don't have a disaster plan. I cannot plan for something that I don't know what it would look like. I only plan for flooding (I live at - 6 meters NAP). At schools there are fire drills like in any other company, maybe once a year.

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you for sharing that personal story ...Thanks for watching, Eric

[@mellchiril]

Fairly, I've lived here all my life and it still has the potential to startle me. Especially when I don't realize it's the first monday of the month, I definitely take a moment to think of what the date is, and what it could possibly mean. Also recently I found out that I can only barely hear the darn thing when I'm in the shower, last monday was when I learned this. Couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by that knowledge. On the whole though, I'm grateful to have sirens like these, and hearing them go off every month actually makes me feel more secure.

[@Kaasmof]

In the town I grew up, about 25 km north of the only city in western Europe, the alarm was the way to alarm the volunteer firebrigade. Our town was modern, lines were pulled through the village and connected to receiverboxes in the houses of the firemen. As the alarm was sounded, there was put a signal to the boxes and numbers would give them the indication were the fire they had to respond to. Some would come to the station to pick up the trucks, the rest would move straight to the place of the incident. Once a month, there was the test-alarm, a short sequence to see if the system was still working. When I moved to Germany in the early 80s of the last centuries, the small town I moved to also used the sirens to alarm the firebrigade. Then, as technics moved on, firemen got pagers and it was decided that we would not need the sirens anymore. It was easier to use the pagers and, shortly after, cellphones to alarm the people. Then, not that long ago, as floods run through the Ahrtal, suddenly the sytsme did not work anymore, simply because the flood had not only taken the antennas of the cellphone networls down, it also destroyed the electricitynetworks. A little problem and only those firebrigades that still had there old "analog radios" instead of the modern digitals, had a chance to communicate with one another. Today, most of the districts have re-installed the sirens, fed by batteries/geneators, to have at least one way to alert the public in case of emergency.

[@rmyikzelf5604]

I know my mother (now 84) had issues with this alarm as it reminded her of infant experiences in The Hague during WW2 bombardments.

[@marijbierstekers1956]

A few years ago we had an alarm at night! There was a fire a few miles from here. and the wind was in our direction! There were toxins in the smoke!! That's why we were warned! Close windows and stay indoors. Until it was safe. It wasn't too bad afterwards. Quite a strange sensation!!

[@kellflowers]

We have a similar siren test the first Wednesday of the month here in North Texas across many of the towns and cities. Ours are tornado and severe hail warnings. And loud. When I was a kid, we had alarms at school and did the under the desk shelter for nuclear attacks from Cuba and the USSR.

[@M41NFR4M3-]

As a kid in the 80's living in Maassluis down river from Rotterdam our family had a plan to evacuate when ever the sirens would go off at any other day then the first monday of the month. The plan was dont come home but to go up north as far as possible, reasoning behind it was that across the river to the south is the Botlek industrial area with a huge amount of chemical plants. Accidents at those plants would be the only real reason the alarm would go off.

[@doosenco]

The plan is, close the windows and put on the radio or tv for instuctions. ;)

[@eisco]

From 1997 to 2003, the system was monthly tested in silence and only heard once a year. A lot of people became unfamiliar with the system and the yearly audible test caused more confusion. Since then, it’s back to a monthly audible test. For me, it works kind of like a month-clock.

[@lindaraterink6451]

Now that you ask that it.. I feel like 'huh, never really thought of that.' We know from school age ( or they should) to go inside somewhere if you are able to, call home. or go home, lock doors and windows and listen to the radio or turn the tv on for the next instructions. I guess our parents also figured we would be smart enough/independent to find somewhere to seek shelter if we couldn't get home fast enough. I never heard any plan beyond get inside close doors and windows and wait for news what to do from my parents.

[@JimmyRJump]

In Belgium the Air Raid Warning sirens go off every first Thursday of the month. Or at least, they did when I was a kid in the sixties. My dad explained to me what it was. He was from 1921 and had lived through the second world war, so, he knew what he was talking about. He sat through twelve hours of allied bombing when escaping from a German work camp in 1943. First in the surroundings of Bremerhaven and then at Hamburg port. He got shell-shock from it. In my village, the siren was sitting atop the roof of the municipal building and was the wailing kind, not the submarine-diving kind like in your video.

[@Peterraymond67]

In the Cold War days there were a range of early warning devices in the UK. One was placed in every school canteen, colliery, hospital, vital factories etc. They were tested regularly. One I saw had a note attached. “If the 4-minute alarm sounds, bend down and kiss your butt goodbye”.

[@tacoiest6145]

wat you hear as the sirens is a combination of different alarm codes and end of alarm codes. for an actual airrade the airrade portion would sound when the danger is imminent and the airrade off would sound when the danger has past. the other portions are for air quality warnings (fire, chemical releases, large gas leaks ect.) on and off. reactions should be base on te type of alarm. the old way were for an airrade get underground if possible (bunkers, subways, basements) and if that's not possible get inside away from windows and doors. For an air quality alarm get inside close windows and doors and ventilation (off) turn on the local radio station for new and instructions. modern times depend more the internet and mobile phone possibility's. if the settings on your phone are correct you will get push notifications on alarms that concern you (your area at that time) and how to act. this system is tested 2 times per year together with the sirens in december and june. I never had any drills for it of any kind but all my grandparents lived during WW2 so the history and meaning was shared. but I do remember many sire commercials on how to react to a real alarrm in the past. The alarms are also used by me to rehash some key point from a first aid training for motor riders of how to act in case you are first on location of a crash. if you don't know the 7 step plan anymore it's time to study. and its a good reminder to test my smoke detectors.

[@henkmeerhof8647]

Very interesting topic and nice to read everyone having their own memories of things happened during or because of the sirens. I'm born in the sixties and the first stories and instructions came from my parents. As I grew up in a small village it was basically 'if there is something you think is wrong somehow, return home!' Clever enough as my dad escaped from a rogue attack on the Schiedam harbor as a kid by diving into a air raid shelter just seconds before the bullets hit that shelter. In school we learned to find a safe (?) place to stay and turn on the radio if you had one. Today having information on your smart phone is way better. During my youth remember our family being phoned by relative in Schiedam and Rotterdam as the alarm had sounded because of accidents at petrochemical plants in Pernis. In these cases only the local alarms in the endangered area are sounded. I remember an incident where our family was on holiday near Otterloo, and sirens where sounded there. This was because a start fighter jet had dropped a loaded extra fuel tank in that area and it cause a rather large bush fire in this well known holiday area in the middle of summer. Other huge 'pants wetting' things happened without those alarm sounding. Like for example the nuclear disaster in Chernobil with the fall out being blown over Europe. I only remember the catastrophe being mentioned in the media and we stayed informed by radio and television.

[@nicollevisser8141]

I am surprised that this topic is not in your new comers information! It is really important. Since a few years we also have an alert on our phone. That is even more scaring. When all phones of you and your colleagues go off. But it has the same purpose. There were a few years that the sirens were not tested. So when it started again it startled me. But it gives a safe feeling. That you know you get a warning when something is going on. Even when you do not have a phone with you.

[@Nickery1]

Always great fun and enjoyment... watching Your video's ..!!

[@EL-Patron.]

On the 5 januari of 2011 on 14:30 the alarm was going of. There was a big fire in Chemiepack in Moerdijk en we liffed at that time in Dordrecht. We went in side the house amd close al the doors and windows and turn on the television in the local channel. And thats wat everybody learns on school.

[@meticulousgeek]

I've been hearing that thing going of for +40 years now and it still startles me.

[@joopdesmit]

I am 1966 built. So the sirens always have been a part of my life. They were just there. That's about it. When I started asking questions, it was explained that they belonged to an alarm system belonging to the BurgerBescherming. This was a volunteer organisation, not part of the government nor the military, but closesly allied to the military. They would warn the people if something was going to happen. Obviously, growing up in a post WW2 country, in the height of the cold war, the threat, or rather very real possibility of an invasion of some kind. What also helped with that awareness, is that the Starfighters of the local airbase were using the town as a low flight area. They are LOUD!!!! All in all, the possiblity of war is a real thing here. There is no drill in any panicky way. It is more of a sign to switch on the radio and listen to what is required. Or NL-ALERT on your mobile phone. Install the app. Actually a few years ago they tried to stop the monthly sirens. It was objected against. So they went through.

[@lonneketomas1200]

As a child I learned to get inside and close doors/windows/ventilation and put on the telly on the local net. And that if I was cycling to school (13 km) I was allowed to shelter somewhere (farm/shop/company/elderly home... or just ring at some place).

[@wo8818]

As the alarm's been with me all of my life, I don't remember when my parents told me what it was, but I've always thought of them as air raid sirens "luchtalarm" that'll go off in case of a special emergency. We didn't have a specific "plan" either. Mostly just get to a safe place and get to know what it is about (the NL alert message'll probably say something). As the alarm always goes off at noon, when I was still in primary school I just used it to determine whether we were late for lunch or early (as we always go home for lunch). Now I usually don't even hear it because I'm hidden away in a building at work.

[@skippynoah]

Apparently we feel very safe in our country because I see quite a few comments about that 1 time the alarm went of on a different moment and nobody panicked or acted. For me the same. Last year it went of in my area on a strange day and an hour early and the only thing I did was checking if it was indeed already noon.

[@aldertjeful]

Yes it is the general alarmsystem, but they sound it once a month to test the system. Every citizen will know (or tell/teach you) wat to do in case of the emergency, what ever the emergency wil be.

[@dimsel]

Can't remember as a kid that it had to be explained to me. You just grow up getting used to it and then find out later on what it's all about? There used to be ads on tv and we'd receive leaflets (and stickers?) in the mail that you could hang up indoors; some sort of checklist: When the sirene goes go indoors (at home or at a shop, school etc.), close windows, doors and switch off ventilation systems, tune in to regional radio (and tv?). Yours would be Radio Rijnmond. Living near the Rotterdam Botlek (industrial) area this has happened before, though I get the impression that now they prefer to give these warnings by phone (the NL-alert). At least that's what it's been like with recent big fires and industrial accidents. Never been used in drills at schools and such as far as I know, and we don't really associate it with war, but rather 'calamities'.

[@OMGitisGuy]

It is a test, meant purely to see if they're all working. We're all taught from a young age that if that alarm sounds at any other time than at noon on the first Monday of the month, you should immediately get inside, close all doors and windows, turn on the TV or radio, and wait for further instructions. Normal programming will be interrupted by an emergency broadcast for that purpose. This has never actually happened in my lifetime, and I don't know if it ever has. I did once receive an NL Alert on my phone about a large nearby fire that could potentially create dangerous fumes, with the advice to keep all doors and windows tightly shut until further notice. But the siren did not sound that time.

[@edwindesert9317]

As a kid, we were living close to the Europoort/Botlek, so we were told that if the alarm sounded on an irregular time, most likely a chemical plant had blown up, then go inside and listen to Radio Rijnmond. (there wasn't local TV at the time). That was it. At school, because the alarm was at noon, it was usually at the beginning of the lunch break, we didn't have to dive under the desk or so. Only place where I ever had a proper drill with going to an underground shelter and a headcount was with a previous employer in Dallas, Tx because of tornado risk.

[@klarameijer1889]

The sirens on first of the month is a testsirene, but if it goes of on other days, you have to go inside, close the windows and listen for instructions on the radio. There used to be an instruction pamflet tin each house, but is is a long time that I see that pamflet. I was born not too long after war, so in that time it was told what it was and if you moved to a house you got the paper with the instructions. There is an app that connects to this sirene. I always think about countries that are in war and here this every time again daily.

[@sydney2303r]

If the siren goes of, not on the 1st the month, in our region Rijnmond (=Rotterdam and suburbs) you'll have to close your windows and turn on the radio (preferably one with a battery in case of a power failure) and tune in on the local radio/tv broadcaster RTV Rijnmond. Channel 30 on Ziggo TV or 93,4 FM radio and wait for instructions.

[@D.J.Themeparkvideos]

You seem under the impression that the sirens sounding off at 12 on the first Monday of each month is some kind of remembrance ritual, but it is only purely done to make sure the system and each single siren is working the way it is supposed to. It's a test.

[@johnpeeters2131]

there used to be commercials on state television that, in case of a real alarm, you should go indoors, close doors and windows and listen to the state radio station for information. so the sirens for all sudden health hazzards, not just bomber attacks or nuclear fall-out.. I think they are a useful tool (especially because they reach everyone, even here in rural Brabant) that can be used specifically for a region. and testing them once a month helps to keep people from being surprised and panicking.

[@xaveforum4all0]

the siren go off every first Monday of the Month at 12 o'clock. thats for testing the system if they are function correctly. i think thats 2 times a year there will send a test message on your phone even for testing these systems

[@pim1234]

When the alarm goes off in another time: listen to the radio !! I only had it one time when I was baby sitting, a factory spilled some gas and I had to close all windows !

[@lindaparisi3876]

We hear it here in Michigan once a month on the first Saturday of the month. It's mainly used as a tornado siren but they can actually speak through it as well.

[@anemdo89]

I live in Rotterdam area, close to the harbour. We've had a few times in my life when the alarms were actually used because of harmful gases in the air. Now we also get a message on the cellphone to let us know exactly why the alarm goes off, that's very helpful. I just make sure to get myself and kids inside, close windows etc. My kids (8 and 6) learn about it in school, and we have talked about what to do when the alarm sounds. They know to get somewhere inside safely as soon as they can. They're not yet going far away from home on their own, so it would be just coming home for now. When I was young and in primary school myself, the alarms went off. Our teacher panicked and just sends everyone home middle of the schoolday. Bad choice, harmful gases were in the air. And I had asthma, and I was ill for a few days, which shouldn't have happened. Also, not everyone had someone waiting for them at home. After this incident the school changed it's approach to the alarm going off. If it happens when they're at school, they stay there until it is safe again.

[@pim1234]

You have the best foreigners in the Netherlands channel !

[@TheCathus]

The very first time I have heard it, I was alarmed. Luckily enough, it happened during the introduction session at the local university,and our professor gave us an explanation about the purpose of it, so we quickly got accustomed to them periodical "luchtalarm" tests. Now (15 years later, in my case) it takes simply a couple of seconds to make sure it's "this time of the month" (pun unintended) to figure out that you do not need to run for your life. In my humble opinion, this sound is fairly bearable. I cannot say the same thing about our dear NL-Alert. Oh, this fellow makes you go "duck and cover". :) Greetings from the North.

[@RFGfotografie]

As an emergency photographer I get the NL alert quite often, as I am quite often in the reach of a place where they use it. It makes a hell of a lot of noice, but I barely read it as I already know what it's saying. Most of the things I already know, hear/see at the emergency or read on social media. The main advice is always the same. Though there has been moments when it went of, not as a test, I really asked why. And then I did feel some panic getting in me, though luckily it were just errors in the system. But basically when I am near a zone, I am already following the rules, as it's for my own safety and to do my work the right way. So I don't worry that it will go wrong once I am not there and it goes off. I think I will be fine. I do wanna help others though with getting the information they want/need. As I have noticed that if you give people that, they will become a lot more calm/obedient/careful.

[@gilles111]

Hahaha, can understand you were scared when you first encountered these tests. Back in the '80s there was an old air raid alarm system mounted at the house where we (my family) lived - we had a house above a car dealership at an industrial area. That old system was much louder and lower pitched (was air pressured if I remember correct - the nowadays system is electric) but also the tests on that system were 5 minutes instead of the 1.26 nowadays. The system was next to my bedroom window and the window of our toilet. Always fun when a visitor went at noon to the toilet and didn't know about the system and the test. Every time I hear those tests I think a minute back about the house where we then lived ;-)

[@goodnighttess]

growing up there where tv spots on tv that showed what you must do when the alarm goes off. Go in side. Close windows and doors en airventilation systeems. Then turn on tv or radio put on a local tv chanel. For Rotterdam radio rijnmond i think. As a kid a was told when i was about 6 years old what it was for. And that it started in WW2. Often thought about the war hearing the sirene as a kid. Now not so muts. Now i think, wow a new month already.

[@patypami16]

I still remember the first time I have the "pleasure" to hear the siren... it was the first Monday of... June!!! So my phone also started making a very loud sound (for those who don't know, they also test the emergency system alarm in mobile phones the first Monday of June and December). I freaked out so much! 😅

[@hansdevreught5459]

After WW2 my father had to be in the army for more than a year and after that he had to serve at "Bescherming Bevolking" (protection people) for five years (responsible for the sirens and how to act for the people). So yeah, I grew up with the sirens with the talks of my father. Later on it was also for other threats than war. Most of it has been replaced by public text messages and now it is a backup as general sirens.

[@benverdel3073]

In "The little house on the prairie " they toll the bell. This is just the electrified version. I grew up in a polder . It's not only for air, but also flood alarm. When it goes of you switch on the telly and or radio.

[@jhuizi123]

I am now sixty-one, but I remember this as a child, and being told that they are air raid sirens (my father lived through the war)

[@SwirlingSoul]

The sirens. I live in Emmen in Drenthe, up north-east. I've always heard the sirens, even when I lived way more rural. My parent explained it thus: the sirens are there to warn us of danger. That can be any danger that you need to pay attention to. Every first monday of the month we test them to hear if they are all working right. But if you hear them any other time: Go inside, close doors and windows, and turn on the radio. (yeah, I'm that old.) So, now, same thing, just turn on the tv, or any other social media, and one will find out what's going on. Occasionally they're used near big fires, when people have to close doors and windows and turn off ventilations as to not inhale the smoke that may be coming their way. etc. And recently, here in Emmen we had a - what we call - "sore-throat-chicken" ,...the siren coughed and spluttered and missed a lot of sound... Next test, perfect alarm. It makes me feel safe these alarms. Like, "K, everything's working". It gives a great feeling of continuity. The DRILL you talk about, happened with STER commercials on tv between programs. You know, "info the government wants you to know". The "go inside close doors and windows and turn on the radio" was the STER commercial that explained this alarm on tv regularly on family times too.

[@chrislaarman7532]

1) I was born in Amsterdam in 1956. The sirens were just a part of life, I can't remember having them explained. I think that they were just tested for functioning: the (mechanical) system may have dated back to when neighbor Germany became a threat (1938?), and just got rolled out over new parts of cities. The mechanical devices got replaced by solid-state electronics, around the year 2000, I'd guess. 2) There was no drilling (to my knowledge). However, we used to have a nationwide organization called "Bescherming Bevolking" (BB, "protection people" to keep the alliteration). The BB was something like a "state-of-war fire department", and I think that its tasks have been transferred to the fire department a few years after the end of the Cold War. 3) Around 1962 (Cuba Crisis?), the BB had published (and delivered door to door) a booklet on what to do in case of invasion (and coming to think of it, the booklet may well have contained the different siren messages). If you hear people of my age or older mention "sitting underneath the stairs with cans of brown beans", then they refer to that booklet. It has eroded esteem for the BB. 4) At least here in Amsterdam, the authorities have told the fugitives from Ukraine of our monthly false alarm. 5) A famous Dutch comedian, I think Wim Kan (or was it Fons Jansen?), has suggested in the 70s that the best opportunity for "the Russians" to attack the Netherlands would be on the first Monday of a month at noon.

[@derkrodermond7491]

When I first actually realised what the monthly alarm test was for, I thought about what I would do the first couple of times I heard them test it. But afterwards I again started to ignore the alarm and nowadays I don't ever hear it anymore. When I was younger my parents and teachers also didn't tell me much about it, other than it used to warn us when the war broke out and such, but I think everybody just realised the chance it would be used for real any time soon was extremely small. And perhaps because of the fact the NL isn't so liability focussed, I don't ever recall anyone instructing me on what we needed to do if the alarm sounded for real at any time. Also I don't think it's important to have a very concrete plan at the ready, because if there would be a real incident I guess you just find safety where ever that may be closest and you go home if possible. At least when you don't have very young kids I think it's like that. The situation will surprise you anyways, there's no use in pretending you can still keep controll.

[@ChillVibesVision7]

Hi Eric and Tammy, I grew up in as a kid going to my primary school and that alarm pole was next to my classroom, and it went off. I knew they did it for testing. I had a situation (like 7 years ago) when I was waiting for the bus and the alarm went off, and it was not on a mondag and not at 12 o clock. I was like.....watching other people what they did, but every body stayed calm. So I took the bus, hoping it was nothing wrong. (New subscriber from the south of the Netherlands)

[@CatharinaKoenheim]

I grew up with it and my heart still skips abeat when they go off.

[@jeffafa3096]

The explanation I was given by my parents about the alarm was exactly how the government explains it: It's an alarm used in case of serious emergencies or enemy air attacks, and you need to get inside ASAP, and every month they test if it still works. Especially the enemy air attack part was still a point of concern with the USSR still being a serious threat...

[@babinskihugo]

I'll share my experiene from when I was a kid in elementary school (I'm 27 years old now). So the first thing is that the siren goes off at 12.00, like you mentioned. But on almost every elementary school there is a break at that time so that kids can have lunch at home. For me, on mondays, that meant I would have the lunch break at my grandparents house. My grandma would pick me, my brother, sister and 3 nieces up at school. She lived right across the fire department, where the siren was located 😂. So when that siren would do it's things, it was soooo loud 😂. I remember I always liked it very much, I would go crazy in a playfull manner and start screaming and howling and stuff 😂. Or imagine the enemy was coming and I had to defend the house or something haha. So for me as a playfull kid it was fun. I don't remember my first experience with the siren, I do remember being taught that is was an air raid siren used in WW II when the german bombers were approaching. Hope you like my story 😉

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you so much for sharing your story!!🥰

[@Stadtionalist]

The biggest risk for us is/was flooding. As a kid we were also told that the sirens were a practice for a situation where the water would be coming and 'the plan' was to get swimming leasons and pass your ABC diploma

[@mclovin5662]

So when the siren goes off, the plan is to take swimming lessons and get ABC. Don't you think that's a bit too late... Only if the siren goes off a few weeks before a flood, but that's just stupid😂 The plan is to go inside and close all the windows and doors.

[@jwenting]

growing up in Apeldoorn, with its high concentration of military installations, the biggest risk was Soviet nuclear missiles...

[@EricvanDorp007]

I was a militair from 1986 till 1989 in the Dutch airforce stationed in Germany, Blomberg, HAWK system 3GGW as a radarspecialist! So at a age of 18 we where so used to alarms, cold war etc. I come from West Friesland but as soon the militairy starts you could be sended to Germany, Libanon or at the borders of the Netherlands. We lived in fear to be attacked by Russia in that time. Same as Ukraine today...Russia never learns and will always do the same tactic...Nothing to do with your upload but thats the way we think about a alarm system whene you both show to me something I am so used to.

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you for sharing and THANK YOU for your service!! Eric

[@marktegrotenhuis]

I remember being told the basics about the siren: - Tested every first monday of the month (unless it's a national holiday) at noon. - It's purpose is to warn for big events that are a treat to the public safety. Things like major fires with lots of (toxic) smoke, extreme weather (tornado) or other natural disasters and military attacks. - If not a test, go inside, close all doors and windows and turn on the tv and/or radio. - Since some years there's the NL-Alert which will also sound an alarm on your phone and as a bonus gives you information on what is going on.

[@wfkonynenberg5242]

Back in the 60s/70s, this was very real. As a kid I had just come back from living on an air defense military base in Germany, where we would have been among the first targets, and the possibility of an air attack was not just a theoretical possibility. Other than "find shelter, listen to the radio", I don't think we had any explicit plan.

[@itomg]

After WW2 we had an organization called 'Bescherming Bevolking' BB for short. It translates to Civilian Protection. They were responsible for the sirens. Sirens are still important in case of floods, big fires and the likes. I remember back in my youth there was a fire going on in the Amsterdam harbor. Silos filled with grains were on fire and were kind of launched like rockets. That was a serious danger and the sirens were used then. Back in the days we were told to stay or go into the house and turn the radio on and follow the instructions of the government or other officials. And that's what we told our children. I believe NLAlert is a more general alarm system. The sirens are more for disaster situations.

[@ossit53]

You are supposed to turn on the radio or tv for instructions. Nowadays you can get an alert on your phone.

[@spugelo359]

The moment you should be REALLY worried, is when the siren doesn't stop 😅

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Good point…question…would it keep going off if there was a real emergency? Eric

[@spugelo359]

@@SoultoSoulTravels Yes. If it's a test, it will stop after short while and should not go off again. I double checked and that is indeed the case in Netherlands as well: "If you hear the sirens go off repeatedly or at a time other than 12 noon on the first Monday of the month, there is an emergency situation." Timing might be different, but otherwise the test should be same in most European countries that test them regularly. Also... I never knew the siren in Netherlands sounds so annoying. And also much harder to recognize if it's a test or real emergency. Here in Finland the siren has really obvious repeating pattern in case of real emergency, when we test them, it will not repeat the pattern. The pattern in Finland is this: Low pitch --> pitch rises steadily --> holds high pitch for a while --> pitch goes back down steadily And if it's just a test it ends here, but in case of real emergency, the pitch would go up again for 2nd time and repeat that for some time.

[@tanja8380]

I (46) was told it was a test to see if the sirens work. If the sirens sound and it is not the first Monday of the month at noon…… immediately go inside close windows and doors en listen to the (local) news for further instuctions. My kids learned the same in school and also from me.

[@ari-etta]

I grew up with these sirens. I use it to check if my watch is still running on time. Strangely enough my son does the same, never told him to do that. I would miss them.

[@MartinWebNatures]

Thanks for the 10 minute Tuesday on Wednesday 😅❤

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

lol lol lol 👍

[@Iamsanni]

Goes to show how much people live out of fear in the US and other countries. We are lucky here in the Netherlands we were not brought up to think the worst immediately. Times are changing though. We were just told they need to be tested every month in case they ever need it for a war or other disaster. For me it also meant we were off for lunchbreak and I could walk home!😊. (12 - 13 in the old primary school system)

[@RFGfotografie]

In my city we have a factory that has basically the same alarm, so when I hear it on any other day hen wednesday and/or monday, I do really feel like there is something going on. Yet till now it isn't. This factory is said to be able to wipe out the whole city, so it's a worry if it goes wrong there. But as for now there only has been 1 quite small fire there, so it's ok I think.

[@SPeeSimon]

The original plan was for NLAlert to take over and remove all sirenes (WAS). But the first few attempts the phone alert did not work and people complained about "what if you have no phone". A later test also found out that there were sirenes mailfunctioning. So they returned to the original way of working. I have read that the announcement was made in 2014 for removal in 2017, then it moved to 2020, 2021. Now i found a report ("Een toekomst voor het WAS" from NIPV) saying 2025 and even able to postpone it to 2030 as the latest date. So, this piece of critical infrastructure is not easily replaced. It really takes some time. But expect more to be done through NLAlert. This can provide information besides just a warning. So sometimes they send out an alert, but not sound the alarm.

[@freddeboer2471]

60 years ago when I was at school we didn’t have any drills and also then we had a siren’s once a month

[@nynkestellema2641]

A couple of years ago the alarm went off in Nijmegen (i think) when there was some sort of incident. It was a beautiful day and a journalist asked people on terraces if they heard the alarm and if the knew what they had to do. People heard it but no one responded to it in the way the government would like; go inside, lock doors and windows and turn on the local news. I remember that in primary school there was a siren nearby and it became impossible to heard the teacher. I don't remember if they ever explained what it was for. Only that the teacher would pause what ever he/she was doing till the siren was done and then just continue the lesson. There was no drill. Just annoyance.

[@tammo100]

I remember the old siren back in the 70s and 80s. Those were loud as hell. These are also loud, but different. A couple of years ago the government wanted to abolish the sirens and use cellphones only. But not everyone has a cellphone, especially elderly people and not all areas of the country have perfect coverage. And the new warning system NL-Alert was not completely stable (and still isn't). So now they use a combination of the two, which is perfectly fine. In 2021 with the floodings in Limburg the raid sirens were used in a few locations. Flooding and chemical disasters are the main reasons to keep the air raid sirens working.

[@nuuwnhuus]

I was taught to get inside quickly, close windows and doors and check the TV or radio. In reality growing up with the siren is just one kid in school yelling "THE GERMANS ARE COMING" every month. I'd like them to remain, because I don't always have a (charged) phone on me and I'm probably not alone in that. It's also a good reminder for monthly tasks I think.

[@caspervanelli6502]

When I was a child, the building that the siren was placed on was right across the street. So we got the full brunt. Our dog used to go outside and howl along with the siren. We never had a plan, it was just explained like they want to be sure the siren still works.

[@AndreSomers]

The only drills at school I am aware of are fire drills, like you said you have as well. Luckily, no “active shooter” drills either like I hear you have in the US. Sirens are sometimes used. I already read some examples in other reactions, but you can also think of a train accident with a freight train carrying toxic chemicals. These trains sometimes pass through cities and towns, and if something were to happen with one carrying, say, chloride (there used to be one very frequently carrying that) you really want to be able to warn a lot of people very quickly. The sirens will do that trick.

[@dutchflyingpilot]

What to do when de sirens start: Get inside, close all doors and windows and tune in a local tv or radio station. The old air-raid sirens had a very eerie sound compared to ones we are using today. Somewhere between 2025 and 2035 the sirenes will become silent. They will be replaced by the NL alerting network. Duck and cover!

[@iedzjee]

For me growing up during the worst of the Cold War it was very much of a reality. We had drills and once, I was in elementary school the sirens went off on an unusual time. We ducked under our benches and knew that something was wrong, because heard aloud bang minutes before. The gunpowder factory in a neighbouring town was exploded (Naarden). Where I live now we have a traumatic experience that is right in everybodys minds and that is the flooding of 1953. Our family has plans for an event like that and we really told our son what to do when the sirens call. The sirens are heared everywhere, but NL alert only works when your cellphone is on. By the way, I was working on the top of the Domtoren in Utrecht when the shooting took place. NL alert went off, but I had no idea what to do and indeed couldn’t reach anyone to ask. I finaly went down and walked through an incredibly silent city. The first time I heard birds there.

[@marcelmayen1871]

We duttch folks are so used to the sirens that all we think is “hey, we’re in a new motnh already” whenever it goes off