From 12 October sirens will sound for five days in Mazovia

From Monday, 12 October, the “Syrena-26” exercise runs for five days in the Masovian Voivodeship. Sirens will sound for one minute with a continuous tone — this tests the warning system and the procedures of the services. The voivode asks people to stay calm and not to do anything.

For reference: a real alarm in Poland is a three-minute signal with a modulated tone, and the all-clear is a three-minute continuous tone. An alarm can also be announced by voice: loudspeakers say three times “Uwaga! Ogłaszam alarm…”, and the all-clear is “Uwaga! Odwołuję alarm…”.

Sirens warn not only of military threat but also of natural disasters and contamination of an area.