Everyone is familiar with police sirens, but what you may not know is there are many different types of this audio warning equipment. The two main types of police sirens are pneumatic and electronic. Here, we will go over the two main types of police sirens used today and discuss other types of police sirens used through history.
Pneumatic Police Sirens
Pneumatic sirens are sometimes referred to as mechanical or coaster sirens. This type of siren is different than an electronic siren because it is driven by an electronic motor. In a pneumatic siren, there is a free aerophone. The aerophone contains a rotating disk with holes. The holes interrupt air flox from fixed holes on the outside of the unit and prevent or allow air flow. The main problem with pneumatic sirens is that they use forced air, and the loss of air can cause the siren to lose sound. Due to its complexity, pneumatic police sirens are usually only used on fire department vehicles. However, many ambulances and rescue squad vehicles opt for a pneumatic siren because it is capable of creating urget high sound pressure decibels (123 db at 10 feet).
Electronic Police Sirens …show more content…
Chapman and Charles W. Stephens to mimic the sounds of a pneumatic siren. While electronic sirens sound much like pneumatic sirens they are created fundamentally different. Electronic sirens are different than pneumatic police sirens because they are created with oscillators, modulators, and amplifiers. Together, these components can create a selected siren tone such as wail, yelp, phaser, hi-lo, piece, priority, manual, airhorn, scan, and much more. An electronic siren delivers its sound through external police speakers. Many law enforcement vehicles are equipped with electronic police sirens. However, some modern fire engines, are equipped with both pneumatic and electronic