GuyDabo (July 15, 2008 at 7:07 pm)

CDPD In fact, some emergency vehicles (SMUR)near paris use the US siren added on the french siren. It's still rare. And the police water-canon trucks use it as well.

code3paris (March 1, 2008 at 12:18 pm)

The SAMU ambulances are sent out by hospitals which may purchase different sirens other than the "high/low" of the police and fire department. I assure you, all police cars, marked or unmarked, be it a car, truck, van or motorcycle, all use the "high/low" siren and not the American wail/yelp. Ditto for the fire department. After 9 years in Paris I have still not heard the American siren on any ambulances, but of course they may exist somewhere.

CDPDPatrolUnit (February 29, 2008 at 3:16 pm)

Then why there's a video like this? You search for "SAMU 91" on YouTube and you'll see that strange thing.

code3paris (February 29, 2008 at 2:50 pm)

Because it was a movie. I assure you, there are no sirens using wail or yelp in France. Watch and listen to the real videos I've posted and you will catagorically not hear wail or yelp in any of them.

CDPDPatrolUnit (February 28, 2008 at 10:05 am)

Then why I heard the wail and yelp in two movies? First is Taxi 2 when they were chased by the cops in Paris. Second is in the movie that Mr. Bean went to Cannes and they were escorted by the police in there.

code3paris (February 27, 2008 at 1:39 pm)

No. In France emergency vehicles only use the "hi ad low" siren tone. No wail, or yelp or phaser. Stone ages.

CDPDPatrolUnit (February 24, 2008 at 11:21 am)

By the way, do French people use the American wail and yelp siren now?

code3paris (February 24, 2008 at 11:14 am)

No, I mean that the pompiers are like EMTs who go to the scene of all emergencies, medical or traumatic. SAMU is called only if they need a doctor on the scene.

CDPDPatrolUnit (February 21, 2008 at 1:50 pm)

So you mean the "Pompiers de Paris" is better than SAMU?

code3paris (February 2, 2008 at 2:40 pm)

The Pompiers de Paris (Paris Fire Department) is essentially a first-aid outfit. They would be the equivalent of EMTs in the USA. The SAMU is from the Paris hospitals and has a medical doctor on board. Paris EMS is outdated in that they do lots of on-scene first aid. There is no "golden hour." Princess Diana, for example, remained on the scene for more than an hour prior to transport. In the USA, she wouldn't have remained on the scene more than 10 minutes after the arrival of EMS.