On Tuesday, 31 November, the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will carry out a test of alarm sirens across Latvia, activating them for three minutes and will check the compliance with the contracts concluded by SFRS and electronic media (radio, TV).
The alarm sirens can be activated in situations when it is necessary to warn the public of natural or man-made disasters and the possible threats associated with them as quickly as possible. Every year, SFRS tests the alarms as a necessary measure aimed at ensuring that the early warning system is technically ready for operation, checking the technical condition of the sirens, detecting possible defects or disruptions, and inspecting compliance with the contracts SFRS has with electronic media (radio, TV) that are to inform the public in the event of a threat.
On November 31, between 10:00 and 10:20, alarm sirens will be activated for three minutes across the country. Residents have no reason to worry, as this is just another test of the sirens. If you do not hear the sirens during the test, do not worry, as in emergencies where sirens are not audible or deployed, other means of notification may be used, such as public address through loudspeakers of the emergency services and their cooperation partners. SFRS asks management teams of hotels to inform their foreign guests about the upcoming alarm siren test to avoid unnecessary concerns.
Mobile operators will send an SMS to Ukrainian civilians in Latvia informing them that a planned siren test will take place on 31 November. We ask the public and the media to share the poster enclosed, which is in Ukrainian, so that as many Ukrainian civilians as possible can learn about this test and avoid unnecessary concerns.
There are 164 sirens in Latvia, positioned so that the sound signal can be heard within a radius of about 1.5 kilometres (the elevation of the sirens, the nature of development in the area, the noise from routine urban traffic and industrial facilities, and meteorological conditions can affect the audibility of the sirens). SFRS would like to reiterate that if local residents have not been warned of the siren test in advance, then whenever they hear the alarm signal, they must switch on their televisions and radios (Latvian public media: Latvian Television channels LTV1 and LTV7, or Latvian Radio broadcast channels) or other devices, such as mobile phone radio receivers, to receive information about the reason for the sounding the alarm and the action required.
In accordance with Cabinet Regulation 440 ‘Procedure for the establishment, operation, and funding of a national early warning system’ of 8 August 2017, SFRS conducts alarm siren readiness tests to check the operation and technical condition of the sirens, as well as cooperation with the media (radio and TV).