Ambulance Siren Sound Effects
5 ambulance sirens from three countries’ traditions: a Japanese two-note siren, an American wail and a European pattern, plus an approaching ambulance and an 8-bit version.
You're free to use these sounds. License
About ambulance siren sound effects
Ambulance sirens change from country to country more than most sounds do. In the US an ambulance uses the same wail and yelp tones as police cars, often with an air horn on top. Much of Europe uses a two-tone pattern, and in Germany ambulances share the Martinshorn with fire and police. Japan gave ambulances a sound of their own in 1970, a gentle two-note pi-po, so that people could tell them apart from fire engines and to make the siren less stressful for neighbors. British children call the sound nee-naw, a word they use for police cars and fire engines too.
How to write it in Korean
| Language | Sound |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 삐뽀삐뽀, 왱왱 |
Which one to pick
By country: Two Note Yelp is the Japanese pattern, two alternating notes in a steady rhythm. Long Wail is the American sweep, and Ambulance Wail follows a European pattern. Match the one to where your story happens; viewers notice when a Tokyo street sounds like New York.
Approaching Wail swells as the ambulance comes down the street, which gives you an arrival without a cut.
Pixel Wail is the 8-bit version, for games and pixel art animation.
Uses
- Film and TVAccident scenes, hospital arrivals and the end of a chase.
- Kids videosEmergency vehicle songs and toy play.
- GamesMedic units, city sims and pixel adventures with Pixel Wail.
- Language and culture lessonsPlay the Japanese and American sirens side by side.
File details
- −1 dBFS
- MP3 320 kbps stereo