Severnside Sirens
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Avonmouth_Severnside_Siren%2C_Sep_2019.jpg/185px-Avonmouth_Severnside_Siren%2C_Sep_2019.jpg)
The Severnside Sirens are a system of Civil defense sirens located along the South Severn Estuary coastline from Redcliffe Bay to Pilning, northwest of Bristol. They are activated by Avon and Somerset Police[1] in the event of a potential incident at one of the COMAH sites located in the area, mainly in and near Avonmouth.[2] The system was setup in 1997 following a fire[3] at the Albright and Wilson site in 1996.[4]
Severnside Sirens Trust
Severnside Sirens Trust Limited is the organisation responsible for maintaining the system. It is a registered company (number 3348008) and charity (number 1063224)[5] and was incorporated on 9 April 1997.[6] The trust's activities are funded by the 3 local authorities whose constituents the sirens serve, North Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, and South Gloucestershire Council, and from donations from the organisations running the COMAH sites themselves.
Sirens
![A large pole with two sets of loudspeaker horns mounted opposite each other at the top.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Lamplighters_Marsh_Severnside_Siren%2C_Sep_2019.jpg/186px-Lamplighters_Marsh_Severnside_Siren%2C_Sep_2019.jpg)
The sirens themselves are mounted on dedicated poles and all but one[citation needed] are manufactured by the Federal Signal Corporation. Most of them are Federal Signal Modulators. They are operated via radio signal from a control system at Avon and Somerset Police Headquarters in Portishead.
Designation | Location | Comment |
---|---|---|
Siren 3 | Portishead Fire Station car park | |
Siren 7 ("Sevalco") | Chittening, towards the north end of Chittening Road | Located across the road from the site of the former Sevalco carbon black factory. |
Siren 10 ("Hallen") | Hallen, In the vicinity of the Hallen Fuel Depot between the village and Henbury | Added to the system in 2013.[7] |
Siren 11 | Redcliffe Bay, on the Arqiva transmitting mast | |
Siren 12 | Redcliffe Bay | |
Unknown | Royal Portbury Dock | |
Unknown | Avonmouth, at the end of Victoria Road | |
Unknown | The former AstraZeneca plant off, Severn Road | |
Unknown | Lawrence Weston - behind the Lawrence Weston Clinic | |
Unknown | Shirehampton - in Lamplighters Marsh. | This siren is directional, with loudspeaker cones pointed across the river to Pill and towards Shirehampton proper. |
Unknown | Royal Edward Dock - opposite St Andrews Road railway station | |
Unknown | Pilning - behind the Pilning Surgery |
Testing
The sirens are tested at 1500 on the 3rd of every month. The test comprises the following:[8]
- 3 minutes of the alert warning (a continuous, stepped, rising tone)
- 1 minute of silence
- 1 minute of the all clear siren (a continuous constant tone)
Local volunteers monitor the sirens on test day.[9]
References
- ^ "SEVERNSIDE SIRENS TRUST Ltd Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2014" (PDF). Charities Commission. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Severnside Sirens Safety Advice" (PDF). North Somerset Council. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "The Fire at Albright and Wilson, Avonmouth. 3rd October 1996". www.hse.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Pickstock, Heather (8 August 2017). "There is a glitch with Bristol's emergency warning siren". bristolpost. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Charity Details". beta.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "SEVERNSIDE SIRENS TRUST LIMITED - Overview". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Emergency siren network expanded". 3 July 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Hazardous Chemicals and Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) - bristol.gov.uk". www.bristol.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "SEVERNSIDE SIRENS TRUST LIMITED Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2018" (PDF). Charities Commission. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
External links
- Severnside Sirens Trust - the charitable organisation responsible for running the system