3 tips to hear sirens in New York
New York's wailing sirens from fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars are iconic. Here are 3 tricks to maximize your chances of hearing them.
The different sirens you’ll hear in New York
- If you followed my last New York trip on the blog’s Facebook page and in the Destination New York group, you noticed I’m a huge fan of New York sirens! 🙂 These wailing sirens are so characteristic of New York, especially compared to the traditional European emergency sounds. It’s pure New York.
- Between fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances, I have a clear favorite: fire trucks. Beyond the high-pitched siren, a deep horn blast is meant to push other vehicles out of the way. A New York firefighter explained to me that the horn blasts combined with the siren emphasize the level of urgency even more.
Where to hear sirens in New York
Want to hear these famous sirens? Here are my 3 tips to maximize your chances of seeing an emergency vehicle pass by:
- A great way to hear sirens is to position yourself a few blocks from a hospital. I recommend standing on 34th Street near 3rd Avenue. Why that exact spot? Because this two-way street leads directly to 2 major hospitals on the East River: Tisch Hospital and Bellevue Hospital. And I can tell you, vehicles come and go around the clock.
- To hear sirens, you can also head to New York’s major thoroughfares. There are 3 major intersections where you’re more likely to see emergency vehicles pass: Times Square, Madison Square Park, and Union Square.
- Another technique if you want to see and hear a fire truck: position yourself near a firehouse. You’ll need some luck, though. You can find a list of major firehouses in this article about fire stations in New York. I especially recommend the firehouse at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 102nd Street because it’s next to a police precinct: you’ll double your chances of seeing a vehicle depart!
Want to learn more about New York firefighters? Join our guided tour of New York fire stations! This tour lets you meet firefighters and explore firehouses, provided they’re not on an emergency call and can welcome us.
New York sirens in videos
To give you a taste of what to expect, here are 2 videos I filmed in New York—one with a fire truck and one with an ambulance. Turn up the volume and hit play!
Fire truck crossing Times Square
Fire department ambulance on Broadway
