Just Hired As A Police Officer? Learn About 2 Types Of Police Sirens
Posted on: 25 June 2018
If you were just hired as a police officer, you will be given a police car with a siren. When it comes to the sirens there are different types that are used. Below are two of these types so you can understand the type that is used on the car you are issued.
Pneumatic Sirens
Pneumatic police sirens are not used as much today because they are not as reliable when compared to other types of sirens. A pneumatic police siren is also known as a mechanical siren and is much more complex than an electric siren.
When the siren is turned on a motor attached to a fan turns the fan on. Once the fan starts, the siren sucks the air through a cone. Once the air enters the cone it passes through a drum, which is where the siren sound comes from. There are several holes in the cone that the sound comes through. The main downfall to this type of siren is the fan may malfunction at any point, which would cause the siren not to work at all.
Pneumatic sirens can make a very loud sound quickly, so they are often used on firetrucks and ambulances.
Electronic Sirens
Electronic police sirens work much like pneumatic sirens but are known to be more reliable. The main difference in the two is that electronic sirens do not use forced air to create the siren sound. Instead, electronic police sirens use amplifiers, modulators, and oscillators, to create the siren sound. These three things work together to create different types of sounds, depending on what you need. For example, some sirens will go from high to low, or the siren may be constantly high. Many sirens can sound like an airhorn. Your supervisor will train you on the different types of sounds used and what they mean.
External speakers are installed on the police car. The speakers are generally mounted on the roof of the car. In some cases, a type of pole is installed on the car, much like an antenna, and the speakers are mounted to the pole.
The electronic siren in your car may also allow you to speak through the speakers via a microphone installed inside the car. This allows you to speak to the people you are pulling over without getting out of your car.
Talk with your supervisor about the types of sirens that are used on their police cars and they can give you more information about them.
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