In an effort to remind residents of the purpose of the fire siren, Carlisle Fire Company reshared a post placed on social media from November 2019. Some residents feel the siren is archaic and should be discontinued.
“Milford residents, it has been brought to our attention once again that there are several complaints about our fire siren. While many residents have moved here from areas that did not have a fire siren, many of us have been raised with it,” the post read. “We have taken the time to explain why our whistle still blows and will continue to do so.”
According to the post, the statement was an official release from the Fire Chief and Administrative Officers of the company. It began by answering the question “why does the fire siren sound.”
“The Carlisle Fire Company has provided service to the citizens of Milford since 1802. During the last 217 years, all fire protection and extinguishment by the Carlisle Fire Company members has been 100% volunteer. The fire siren installed in the the era of the 1940’s has been alerting Carlisle members and the public ever since. The purpose of the Fire Sirens are to alert the citizens and the Volunteer Fire Department members of an emergency,” the post continued. “While we rely on other forms of communication such as pagers and cell phones, they have their short comings. Batteries die, pagers and cell phones are not on the person, text messaging and smart phone apps like Chief Backstage are often delayed, with some calls not coming through at all. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that there are at least 2 reliable means to alert firefighters. The siren gets the firefighters attention at any time.”
According to fire officials, there is a several second delay between the time a call is relayed through electronic means and the call is sent by dispatchers while the fire siren is immediate. Although several seconds does not seem very long, officials say that those several seconds can be a matter of life and death.
“It has been asked if the Fire Siren cycles could be reduced, to which we did comply in the early 2000’s that reduce the number of cycles from ten to seven. Now we are being asked to eliminate the Fire Siren unless it is the need for a catastrophic emergency,” the post continued. “We ask you, have you ever called 911 in a panic, because your loved one is not breathing, your recently remodeled kitchen was on fire, or a tree has fallen into your house, the one you worked and saved for most of your life and now it is destroyed? Do you remember your catastrophic emergency now?”
The post then asked citizens to remember that when they hear the fire siren in the middle of the night, a member of the community, friend, neighbor or oved one is getting out of bed to go to the aid of a stranger.
“And that person who just woke up does not get to go back to sleep in five to ten minutes, they are up and awake for possibly the rest of the night or morning helping others, to then go to work the next morning, after helping someone in need,” the post read. “Have you ever thought that during Thanksgiving or Christmas when that whistle blows at any time, that member is leaving their family gathering, kids opening presents, or that only day off that week they have to spend with their significant other? Yes, this is what we signed up for, this is what we volunteered for, to do just this, but, what if we didn’t volunteer? What if no one came? Ever.”
The post concluded by pointing out that the fire siren is not just for the firefighters, but that it also alerts the public that emergency vehicles as well as personal firefighter vehicles are traveling through town. They suggested that instead of considering the siren a nuisance, that they consider it a tool. They used the example of a neighbor’s home being on fire and that fire spreading to another home.
“Without the siren, the fire could spread to your house and block your exit,” the post concluded. “We know this is a dramatic example, but is it really? This could happen to anyone at any time. Seven cycles, one and a half minutes of a fire siren really is not a complaint when we focus on the big picture.”
Most comments on the post supported keeping the siren.
“I grew up in Milford in the 50’s and 60’s. Our street was not a thru street like it is now. We always played in the street (oh the horror),” Diane Brooks said. “We had 3 firemen that lived on our street. We knew that when the fire siren went off to hit the sidewalk and get out of the street till they had gone by. The fire siren is an alert to you that the firemen will be heading to the fire station so you can be on the lookout for them.”
Bob Martin stated that those who felt the siren was unnecessary would feel differently if they need assistance, pointing out that the fire siren saved his life one day.
“I cannot agree more with this wording. My dad is lifetime member and past chief of Rehoboth.” Kim Futcher Vincent said. “That whistle along with other alerting devices means help is needed. Delaware fire companies remain primarily volunteer as are approximately 70% of fire companies across the nation. We are blessed to have people who will respond to that whistle.”
Marion Giangola Witte commented that she with a similar siren in New Jersey.
“I grew up with a fire (and ambulance) siren in New Jersey and lived to tell the tale. It still serves the same purpose,” Witte said. “With the siren, I now know volunteers may be rushing to help my neighbor or that I should look at pulse to get more info. It’s a sign of a small town working as a community in my humble opinion.”
Not everyone agrees that the siren is necessary, however.
“Don’t the engines have flash lights and sirens too? My hometown stopped fire sirens in the 1970s when the volunteers got pagers. Now it only sounds for a weekly test and tornadoes,” Greg Schmidt posted. “It never sounded for ambulances because, like here, the volunteers did their shifts at the station. It’s archaic and unnecessary.”
There was talk a few years ago of moving the siren outside of town as many volunteers now live outside city limits. The fire company and the city were unable to come to an agreement regarding where the siren would be placed or who would pay for the relocation, so that has not happened yet.
