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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Thursday dismissed as baseless fears voiced by several social media users that the installation of siren systems in the capital, and later across the country, is related to Jordan’s current participation in international air raids against the Islamic State (IS).

The CDD said it is working on installing new sirens and replacing old ones across Amman. By early 2015, the CDD will work on installing such systems in the governorates.

“The project to install such systems is old and its tenders were floated a few years back. We are just installing new ones to cover more areas,” a CDD source told The Jordan Times.

The system will be used to alert people in certain situations such as heavy snow, earthquakes, fires and floods, he said.

“The systems will not only issue alerts but be followed with awareness messages telling people what to do and what to avoid depending on the situation,” the source explained.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the CDD said the project is part of its strategy to develop services offered to citizens.

“The systems will be used in any emergency situation such as exceptional and abnormal weather conditions,” the CDD statement said, adding that such systems do not have any negative impact on the environment or public health.

Several social media users expressed concern over the installation of such systems in Amman, with some voicing fear of “what is to follow”.

Ayman Mousa (@aymanmt44) re-tweeted a post by Twitter user Abeer (@AleesAbeer): “Siren systems are installed. The US warned its residents against going to malls. When is the Jordanian government going to explain what is happening?”

The US and French embassies urged their nationals this week to exercise caution in Jordan in case of any potential security threats.

Noting that the US and other partners, including Jordan and France, have launched military action against the IS terrorist group, which currently operates in Syria and Iraq, the embassy urged US citizens in Jordan to “maintain a heightened level of vigilance”.

Reem (@Ree_eeem) wondered about the installation of such systems, saying: “Why did you engage us in a war that is not ours”?

Many others asked of what use such systems were while “there are no shelters in Jordan”.

“I think there is no need for these systems as long as we do not have shelters. They only want to scare people,” Ruba Awwad (@rubaawwad) tweeted.

Twitter user Osama Daana (@OJDjo) noted that “These systems should have been in Jordan 100 years ago.”

Many Facebook users also shared pictures of the sirens and wondered whether the system’s installation was connected to the war on IS.

*Jordan Times