Already during the War of Independence, the young State of Israel took on the mission of early warning – but its means were meager, and each settlement took care of itself through observers, who alerted residents with a bell or a trumpet to the main threat at the time – approaching enemy aircraft in the area.
Shortly thereafter, in 1948, the Civil Defense Organization (GAA) was established. Its members wore uniforms and began to organize and manage defense in Israel: from operating alarms and educating the population to rescuing casualties in emergencies.
At that time, the warning system was based almost entirely on powerful mechanical sirens, installed in almost every city and settlement. Even then, they produced the sound that every Israeli citizen recognizes – a rising and falling tone, warning of an air attack.
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Since then, siren technology has changed and developed considerably: from the first sirens that operated with a motor that rotated a disk and produced the sound, to electronic sirens in the early 1990s, and up to the most recent ones that also broadcast voice messages like ‘Red Alert’.
And despite all the changes, the sound of the alarm has remained the same – and not by chance. This specific type of sound has been used by warning systems since World War II – and not only in Israel. This is due to years of psychological research that dealt with the question: what sound causes people to react fastest to danger?
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Indeed, it was determined that the human brain is sensitive to a rising and falling frequency, and cannot ignore it. It causes an increase in heart rate, adrenaline secretion, immediate alertness, and focus of attention – or in other words, awakens the body’s survival mechanism.
During the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, there was already a national warning system in the country, with a single warning zone – this was because it was impossible to know where the aircraft would actually attack. Thus, when observers detected aircraft approaching Israel, all citizens of the country, from Metula to Eilat, received a signal to take cover, whether in shelters or in trenches dug near their homes. At the end of the attack, a continuous siren of relief was heard throughout the country.
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The turning point came during the Gulf War in 1991. The defense time was significantly reduced, because this time it was not aircraft, but many missiles fired at the home front. For a change – it was possible to indicate where they would hit. Then, a ‘siren map’ was developed that divided the country into several different geographical areas, but it was then used only for gradual release from protected areas – not for entering them. That is, everyone entered, and then the instruction was given on who could leave and when.
The mechanism worked well: therefore, it was decided to implement a selective warning system, which divided the country into several more siren zones. It sounded an alarm only in places where missiles were expected to land – if, God forbid, they were not neutralized by air defense systems. And in 1992, an official dedicated body was established whose mission is to accompany, guide, and also rescue, especially on days like these – the Home Front Command.
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The Command created a new concept, which states that the defense system is responsible for combat on the front and for dealing with the home front alike. And then the revolution began: every apartment built in Israel since then was required to have a protected space (Mamad or Makak), public information and training on protection gained momentum, and personal protection kits were distributed to all citizens.
In 1997, the country was divided into 10 warning zones, and in 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, it was already divided into 25. And as of the writing of these lines, there are more than 1,700 areas also called ‘polygons’, which allows for alarms to be activated in specific settlements and even in specific neighborhoods in large cities. This move significantly reduced the frequency of entering protected areas and allowed for functional continuity.
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Today, you no longer need to wait only for an alarm to sound from a building’s roof to stay informed. As early as 2016, the Home Front Command application was launched to the public, and for the first time, warnings were also received directly on mobile phones. The app was also adapted for the hearing impaired and the deaf: it alerts them via vibration and flashing the flashlight.
And yes, we are all familiar with the loud message, which signals to ‘turn back’ moments before entering the shower. This is ‘Cell Broadcast’ technology – all mobile phone holders in an area under ‘Extreme Alert’ receive a text message sent directly to their device, accompanied by a dedicated sound, without needing to download an app or any action from the citizen.
The system also operates without internet access: as its purpose is to provide a warning to every person, at any time and in any place. It is important to note that it does not receive information about devices or their locations, and user privacy is fully maintained.
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For 78 years, the same sound has caused us to jump out of bed, tie our shoelaces, and run to a protected area without a second thought. And although the alarm sound has remained the same, the system that operates it has been perfected hundreds of times, to create optimal civil defense.
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