Are fire sirens really necessary anymore? (buy, construction, to live in)

[majortom1981]

Some of the insurance companies that the firehouses use require them. I know in North Lindenhurst their insurance company made them start using it again.

[jimnasium]

[FONT=&quot]Oh My. Really? Is everyone really this selfish in thinking these sirens serve no purpose? To think these sirens are just an annoyance? Is our society so self-absorbed that you all feel this is an inconvenience to you? To claim that we aren’t living in the 30’s anymore and that the firemen have cell phones is no excuse to not use the sirens. These sirens serve many purposes? Most people who complain about the sirens moved from the city where there were no sirens, don’t remember the sirens from their childhood, or need a safe-room to go cry in because the siren offended them.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Do you realize that the fire department having and using said siren is one of the factors that the ISO uses to determine your homeowners insurance rates? The fact that this is a means to notify the Firefighter of an emergency that the Fire Department controls is of importance. Cell phones are not always reliable. They also do not call each member to report the incident. It is a text message. Many of which are blocked by the cell phone companies marking them as spam because they send out so many messages. Look into the Firefighter who is outside playing with his children when a call comes in and he doesn’t hear his radio/cell phone. Thin of the Firefighter who is mowing his lawn and can hear the siren. I often reflect on when I was young. Our mother relied on that siren that so many of you call intrusive. She would hear the siren and check on her kids (and whichever other neighborhood kids were outside. It was a notice to the kids to stay out of the road because the Firemen where leaving their houses to respond to your emergency. And it was a notice to stay out of the road because you didn’t know where the firetrucks were heading once they responded. But most of you don’t worry about this anymore, because either a) your children are too lazy playing video games to be outside, or b) you’re too self-centered to check on your kids when the siren goes off if they are outside. Maybe when the siren goes off, you should consider participating in the community and helping your neighbor. Think of the poor family that requires the fire department on Christmas morning when the siren upset you. Think of how sick that person is, or if someone’s home and all their irreplaceable family heirlooms and memories are up in flames.[/FONT]
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Originally Posted by Mumbly Joe

I asked myself this same question, years ago, even before cell phones- when they would notify the volunteers via pagers. Since this is not the 1930's anymore, and most people work indoors, with non-opening windows, miles from the firehouse, what purpose do the sireens serve?

All I could think of, is that the company which maintains the sirens is probably owned by the brother-in-law of some politician. They serve no pupose. By the time the vols get to the firehouse and the trucks roll out, the siren has already stopped- so the idea of warning the public isn't even valid.

In a day when they have cell phone apps to tell you when the next subway train is coming, it's pretty ridiculous trying to picture some guy working outdoors across the street from the firehouse, or standing outside of a local shop, and hearing the siren and running to the firehouse!

[ovi8]

^ that's likened to car alarms going off. They are so pervasive that nobody even looks anymore.

Same thing with these fire sirens. I doubt families from 7 blocks over hearing the alarm will watch for their kids to be careful. You can't hear them if you're more than a mile away anyway... so are all the firefighters within that distance? What about the ones who won't hear it?

It's one thing if insurance requires/favors it, but it doesn't make it less of a nuisance. Just like car alarms. Seriously, this isn't the 20th century anymore and many processes have changed for the better.

[pidge1114]

Originally Posted by jimnasium

Oh My. Really? Is everyone really this selfish in thinking these sirens serve no purpose? To think these sirens are just an annoyance? Is our society so self-absorbed that you all feel this is an inconvenience to you? To claim that we aren’t living in the 30’s anymore and that the firemen have cell phones is no excuse to not use the sirens. These sirens serve many purposes? Most people who complain about the sirens moved from the city where there were no sirens, don’t remember the sirens from their childhood, or need a safe-room to go cry in because the siren offended them.

Do you realize that the fire department having and using said siren is one of the factors that the ISO uses to determine your homeowners insurance rates? The fact that this is a means to notify the Firefighter of an emergency that the Fire Department controls is of importance. Cell phones are not always reliable. They also do not call each member to report the incident. It is a text message. Many of which are blocked by the cell phone companies marking them as spam because they send out so many messages. Look into the Firefighter who is outside playing with his children when a call comes in and he doesn’t hear his radio/cell phone. Thin of the Firefighter who is mowing his lawn and can hear the siren. I often reflect on when I was young. Our mother relied on that siren that so many of you call intrusive. She would hear the siren and check on her kids (and whichever other neighborhood kids were outside. It was a notice to the kids to stay out of the road because the Firemen where leaving their houses to respond to your emergency. And it was a notice to stay out of the road because you didn’t know where the firetrucks were heading once they responded. But most of you don’t worry about this anymore, because either a) your children are too lazy playing video games to be outside, or b) you’re too self-centered to check on your kids when the siren goes off if they are outside. Maybe when the siren goes off, you should consider participating in the community and helping your neighbor. Think of the poor family that requires the fire department on Christmas morning when the siren upset you. Think of how sick that person is, or if someone’s home and all their irreplaceable family heirlooms and memories are up in flames.

You fail at quoting.

[hotkarl]

I like the sirens.
One of the few things left from my childhood.
Would not buy a house within a 5 block radius of one though.

[Chint]

Fixed fire sirens are annoying perhaps. But most fire sirens are mounted on fire trucks anyway - so how you going to avoid them? (Unless your fire station has only one truck there's always more mobile sirens than fixed sirens).

[Ex-LI]

I always found it funny that the Merrick Library, the quietest place in town, is directly across from the firehouse (Empire Hose Company). That siren used to go off at noon and 6:00pm every day. I don't know if it still does.

[monstermagnet]

Without the siren, how will the vollies know the keg and pizza have arrived at the station house?!

j/k, lighten up, Francis.

[NYTom]

Originally Posted by hotkarl

I like the sirens.
One of the few things left from my childhood.:

Same here!

[ddm2k]

You're talking about the siren mounted on the station itself, not on the trucks, right?

Both indoor and outdoor sirens are necessary to alert all firemen of a call, whether they are inside the building or out on the yard next to a running diesel engine.