SoCal History LA’s Civil Defense Sirens, A Decades-Old Artifact That Still Stands Now

AirTalk

Originally being an alert system for Angelenos following the attack on Pearl Harbor, civil defense sirens were a device that was meant to warn folks of an incoming disastrous event if one were to happen. Going from the angst of World War 2 to the fears of nuclear war during the Cold War, Angelenos saw more than 200 defense sirens across the town hoisted up in neighborhoods and meant to serve as a warning sign. With the sirens having been around for so long, sporting different looks, we thought it’d be worthwhile to discuss how they came to be and how their testing kept Angelenos alert in a way that was unique to the earthquake drills that exist to this day. Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, co-creators of Esotouric, a niche tour company in Los Angeles, are joining us to provide a primer on LA's civil defense sirens.