I agree. Shut it off please.

Yes, I agree, wholeheartadly. You can hear it more than a mile away on rainy nights. I can't imagine having to live in that neighborhood. With today's telephones and auto dialing systems, the horn is a thing of the past. It is really only needed if there is an evacuation or true emergency. I suggest calling the municipal building, starting and signing a petition with local residents, and going to the township meetings.

Just think of the person who needs the fire companies help. They hear the siren and know help is on the way. Think about it if it was you who needed there help. And did not know if your phone call went through for help.

This fire company can do no wrong in upper Darby good luck getting that siren silenced

If only they had a small device that they could give to their members when they needed to contact them in the event of an emergency. Other towns turn off their siren after a certain time why not these guys? Doesn't upper Darby have a paid department? Oh wait these guys are different and the politicians are afraid of them. Learn to love the siren

That sound might save your life someday. If you don't like it, MOVE.

Why have most other communities abandoned their horns when DH still blasts their's?

I don't know what towns you people live in but DH is not alone in using their sirens-Collingdale, Clifton Heights to name just a few still all use their sirens-oh and to answer the question as to why they don't use new technology-where would you like the money to come from? Maybe it's the same reason why companies across the state have switched to digital radio calls but ALL of Delaware County is still using analog signals-because they don't have the money. Really that's your biggest concern that the sirens make a little noise when they go off-instead of complaining about the noise-why don't you say a little prayer that you don't need the guys and gals who will be answering that call aren't coming to your house and then say a prayer for the house or accident they are goin go!!!!!

@Sirenman: We've invented a sound that can save somebody's life? So, it put's out an ultrasonic wave that can put out a fire, right? THAT'S why neet to relight my grill every time the siren sounds! It isn't the siren that may save my life, it is the firefighters that respond. If this siren is still needed to notify them of a fire, then the we need to invest in better technology.

As for the "if you don't like it, MOVE" stance towards things: People take the time to bring these issues up and comment on them because they care about the community. They truly want to make it better. So, you want the citizens who obviously care about their community to just give up and leave? We can live here, but we aren't allowed to improve the place, right?

I wonder how many good families have either decided not to move into Drexel Hill or to move out of Drexel Hill due to this siren going off at all hours of the day or night.

@Randall: I realize that a lot of local communities still use their sirens. If residents of those towns have a problem, those residents can do something about it. I don't live there and I don't have to sleep there. However, I do live in Drexel Hill - less than a mile from the Fire Department.

I am sure if you took a poll of residents who are within earshot of the siren asking if they wanted money invested in newer technology so we could stop using the siren, a large percentage of them would say yes.

I find Drexel Hill to be a lovely community. So, yes, this type of thing is a large concern of mine. The siren doesn't make "a little noise." It makes a lot of noise. Why disturb the entire community when there is a fire call? That's right, to make sure people are still praying. Nevermind.

The firehouse was probably there before you moved in--did you think about it then? I for one feel very secure when I hear that siren. It means someone is listening....

Hey Jeff, If the fire pager does not go off, then the siren just might save your life or someone elses's because now the fireman will get out of bed in the middle of the night. Obviously Jeffy, You are not a fireman, you mambi pambi. I agree with Sirenman.

If it was your house on fire the sirens would not be loud enough. Give the Firefighters a break

@Lauren: The firehouse was there, and, yes, the siren was in use. I've said this before and I will say it again: Drexel Hill is a lovely community and I love living here. Yet, when I see a problem with the community, I like make an attempt to change it to make it even better than it was before.

@Whistler: The same thing happens when a firefighter doesn't wake up due to the siren going off. Any kind of technology has its flaws. You can't possibly tell me that the fire department has a perfect record of awakening every firefighter every time for every call. Mambi Pambi... really? Let's all start calling each other outdated homosexual references... yea, that'll show 'em.

@quiturbtchen: I said this in the original post and I will say it again - there is no reason to awaken the entire neighborhood because one person's house MIGHT be on fire. There are obviously dependable alternatives, considering the number of fire companies that don't use horns/sirens anymore. I am not coming down on the firefighters. In fact, it is quite the opposite. I respect them and what they do and I do not take them for granted. If my house was on fire, there would be nothing more that I would like to see but a firetruck pull up. Don't try to make it sound like I am against the firefighters or the fire department. I respect them a lot. It is the antiquated siren that I have a problem with.

I believe in our fire fighters and I contribute every year. They are dedicated and hard working. However the siren is deafening when your windows are open or you are outside. Our babies are woken each time it goes off and they cry like they are in pain. Don't forget about our poor 4 legged friends (of which there are many) whose ears are much more sensitive. Many other houses use more updated ways to call firefighters to an emergency, why can't garrettford?

Most communities use their horn to indicate that a local emergency of epic proportions (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, terrorists shooting up the neighborhood) that requires residents to take cover or evacuate is happening. This is why the horn should not be removed.

However, blasting it everytime someone's house catch fire completely makes it useless. Its the boy who cried wolf. If you hear the horn your not going to evaculate or take cover because you hear it every day. I don't understand why the need to blast it all the time. Firefighter have cell phones and cell phones are far more likely to get the fire fighters attention than the horn. If cell service is out, use the horn, but that is unlikely during a normal service call. This is 2010. Technology has advanced. Lets make our community safer and nicer by limiting the horn to true emergencies like those in the first paragraph. Until that happens, I'll be donating my money to the fire companies who have figured this out.

Jeff, I agree with you. I looked at a house near Oakmont fire company (Haverford township) and wanted nothing to do with moving there because of their siren. Garrettford has a very high call volume that makes it worse. These sirens have not been needed for many years but firefighters are very resistant to change. Most firefighters have had pagers for 30 years, now they have alpha numeric and the capability to get call over their mobile phones, not to mention radios.
Garretford used to have paid firefighters that you as a taxpayer paid for, but the powerful volunteers at Garrettford ran them out of the station, yes firemen are very resistant to change.
A couple of the other posters have it right though, this fire company has all the political connections and I doubt you have any luck getting this to happen. Certainly not on a free website like this. You need to petition your neighbors, once you've gotten enough support that will awaken politicians. Good luck.

Majority keep saying that the fire department needs to update the technology. Think if they do this then where will the money come from- your pocket. Your taxes will raise and then you will complain about that.

The fire department already has the technology in place.
Turn the siren off at night.
Stop being the problem child fire department
in UD

I live in Garden City and we had a fire in our home back in April. I know that all of the firemen have pagers. but it was such a relief when I heard the fire sirens going off. I hope that you never need them but we all sleep better at night just knowing that they are there. You have no idea how much time and effort these heros put in to training and firefighting so that you will be safe. Stop whining.

Interesting, I found this posting because I was googling whether there was a need for fire sirens. I live in a town of 1100 people and I'm about 1/2 mile away from the fire department. We didn't realize where the FD was when we bought the house, nor did we realize they would set off the alarm constantly throughout the day and night. When a thunderstorm starts at 2am, the siren goes off after the first or second clap. Frustrated with the constant blaring every night, I asked my neighbor about it (her dh is a volunteeer with another FD). She gave me they typical answer...their pagers might not work, they might be mowing the lawn and not hear, blah blah. I find all those reasons ludicrous. First, I lived right across from a FD for 10 years in NY (in a town of 4000) and would rarely hear the siren, and they did not sound it any longer after 10pm. So why do they have to do it here? Both departments are volunteer, no difference there. My neighbor gave me the spiel about responding to other towns, basement pumping, car accidents, etc. I'm sorry, I just don't see where it is necessary for every single episode to sound off the alarm. Our FD does have pagers. There are systems in place for automatic calls to cell phones at universities for emergencies, can't they do that as well? As other posters mentioned, any system will have some failure, including sirens. So why not use the less disruptive system (pagers/cell phones)? Sirens WILL fail, volunteers can't hear them if they are more than 2 miles or so away (esp in hilly areas). You mean to tell me that anyone alive with a cell phone/pager isn't carrying it with them 24/7? And that they won't awake to a ring under their pillow, but they will to a siren if they are 1 mile away and their windows are closed?

absolutely get rid of it. It is a quality of life issue now . With the technology available today it makes the siren extinct .

if it works don't attempt to fix it

It don't work; hence why it is open.

Any questions or if anyone would like to discuss this issue contact CHIEf JIM HOBAN at 610-259-9110, if CHIEF HOBAN is not there when you call please leave your name and contact info and he will return your call.

Lets try and answer your questions and comments as best as possible. The Garrettford-Drexel Hill Volunteer Fire Company in Drexel Hill currently uses 2 different house sirens. If you are a resident of Drexel Hill you probably have noticed this. Our house sirens are used for a few different reasons most importantly to notify volunteer firefighters of an emergency situation that is calling for there help. Yes of course we do use pagers and for many of the members but in many instances not all of our members are supplied with pagers since they are very expensive and we are not supported by Upper Darby Township for that type of equipment. Also as many of us are married with children, those of us who have pagers sometimes are misplaced by children, forgotten by the Volunteer Firefighter, slept through the paging system and so on. Many times volunteers are in the back yard with there families enjoying a nice weekend or weekday and may not have put there pager on the belt or may not have a scanner out side of there house not to hear the fire call. At that point they are notified by the sound of 1 of 2 house sirens depending on the type of emergency to which siren is blown.

The small house siren blows 3 times which is used for car, brush, leaves fires, ect. This particular siren is able to be adjusted for the amount of times blown.

The large house siren is used to notify Volunteer Fire Fighters of a house fire, Fire alarm notification, Vehicle rescue, natural gas in the house and so on. The equipment that times the number of cycles the large house siren blows is very old and is not adjustable. With estimated cost of over $5,000.00 to replace the timer we can not justify the cost. We have tried getting the community to help us with this and has been effortless.

Imagine, you wake up at 3:00 AM to the sound of a smoke detector and the smell of smoke in your home. When you opened your bedroom door there is tremendous heat and smoke that hits you in the face. All you can do is get to the children’s bedroom and escape to a roof in the back of the house and await the fire company to rescue you. While waiting, you hear the house siren starting to blow and then hear the truck starting to come. I am sure this would be a great relief to know that volunteers were coming to save you and your families lives..... This did happen in 1995 and the father of that family thanked us for many reasons but one thanks in particular was for using the house siren that brought such relief to him knowing that his community fire station was notified about his house that was on fire. Hopefully one day we can replace our equipment and not disturb or neighbors, just the volunteers and there families would be disturbed.
I hope this gave you some insight into your questions, complaints and concerns.
I have been a Volunteer for 30 years, married with 3 children. We don't enjoy waking anyone up especially my own family, but some times we are all inconvenienced for the sake of others. If you would like to discuss this further your welcome to contact our station and we will help answer answer any other questions that you might have.

You are also welcome to come join our profession if you may want to help your community when in need.

This fire company has a couple of million in the bank, they can afford to put out the bucks to put a timer on the siren. The community has donated extremely generously for years already. It's a romper room for 14 year olds now.

Upper Darby Noise Ordinance

When is the noise violation in effect?
Before 7 AM and after 10PM the noise violations will be enforced. This includes barking dogs, construction work, trash removal, or any other type of “loud” noise that is disturbing to the public.

Call your council representative
UpperDarby.org

O.M.G. This must be one of those paid man/volunteer issues in Upper Darby again. Thought Drexel Hill got rid of those guys. stop complaining, do your job and move on. I was told by a paid fire fighter. not of Upper Darby, that Drexel Hill still uses their siren because they are the only station left with volunteers in Upper Darby except for the weekend worriers that man local stations when the paid guys dont haft to work. Whats up with that. Weekend's off!! O.M.G. Let the volunteers do there job and stop your complaining.

This issue is non sense...this is getting out of hand with the comments. I think the community stopped commenting a while ago, and more fireifghters that know too much about the Township Fire Dept. are commenting.

This issue is non sense...this is getting out of hand with the comments. I think the community stopped commenting a while ago, and more fireifghters that know too much about the Township Fire Dept. are commenting.

Issue reopened. Please stop closing this issue because you don't agree with it.

Status Change

Knuckle Heads: Man up boys: Open your books to the public, as it is all public monies: Let's get to the bottom of the stink here:

Here is how you find the IRS 990 online It's all right there.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5849437_tax-returns-nonprofit-online.html

i am a fire fighter and the sirens are here for alerting the fire fighters about whatever the emergency is! the other day there was a fire in a differnt township and my pager never even went off but you wanna know how i knew there was a fire? I WOKE UP TO THE SIRENS!!

Hey Joe,
Change the batteries, dont be a bozo.

the batterie was fully charge! i put it on my charger every night.

The fact of the matter is that blaring that siren is no longer necessary. That's what scanners & pagers are for. It's bad enough that they blare that siren unnecessarily in the middle of the night, but the length in which they continue to let it go on for is ridiculous.

I agree 100%. With technology being what it is today, there is NO need to disturb the whole neighborhood every time there is a call. Scanners, pagers, cell phones... they all work just fine. And if the volunteers leave their pagers somewhere else (like a previous poster said & they don't hear them go off), then THAT is the bigger problem here. But the fact that ALL firehouses don't need to blare a siren to get the job done tells me that Garrettford firehouse doesn't NEED to do it, they just CHOOSE to do it.

I agree. Someone needs to start a petition to change this! I would certainly sign it.

The sirens mounted on the fire station are not only to call the firefighters but more importantly they are now utilized as a warning device to approaching traffic to make them aware that fire apparatus is coming out of the station. The siren is important to the firefighters safety as well as the public.

Really Drew? Of all the ridiculous arguments I have seen, I think that is the most ridiculous one yet. The firetruck has its own siren that serves this exact purpose. There is no need to awaken the entire neighborhood.

Nothing will get done about it

@ O.m.g. This was not started by a career firefighter of UD. You should learn to keep your comment to yourself. It's your decision not to like guys who get paid for what they love, but don't air it out in a public forum.

Totally Agree - you can hear the first and second responding trucks on the street and the horn is still going on
Everyone has pagers , the officers have radios and many have scanners - nobody responds to the horn -it is just a major nuisance

To jeff, with all due respect you are obviously not in the fire service. Your argument does seem like it should make sense, unfortunately many people are idiots while approaching a fire house. I have seen firefighters nearly run over, and fire apparatus hit while pulling out of the station while the horn at my station was not blowing. I agree they are very annoying, but from a firefighter safety standpoint, they are still useful.

Drew - You are right, I am not in the fire service, nor do I need to be in order to figure this out because that argument is absurd.

First off, I highly doubt that many firefighters are getting run over these days, but let's humor you and pretend they are. How is a siren supposed to increase a driver's visibility? Look both ways before walking into the street. It's worked for me so far.

I also have a problem believing that the apparatus is being crashed into that often. Again, I will humor you. Being in the fire service, you should know this fun fact: Firetrucks have strobe lights on them. These strobe lights are bright. If you flip the right switch, THE ENTIRE TRUCK WILL FLASH!!! Turn them on as you leave the station. If someone crashes into a flashing truck, I don't have much hope that a siren mounted atop the adjoining building could have prevented it.

How about every time your annoyed by the siren because of the 5 minutes of sleep you might lose, or the 30 seconds of dinner that might be slightly disrupted by the noise, you think about the firefighters that are getting on that truck after leaving their friends, families, beds etc. They devote hundreds if not thousands of hours each year serving your community. You know what, if they want to keep their siren for tradition or any other reason... just let them because they deserve it for all of the time that they sacrifice for you.

Ok jeff no need to be disrespectful or sarcastic. I am only making an argument from a firefighters standpoint respectfully.I am only speaking from my experiences and you hit the nail on the head. Fire trucks are painted for visibility and have many warning lights, unfortunately drivers these days are too preoccupied and do not pay attention. your guess is as good as mine to why people fail to see the apparatus. Will a loud warning siren do any better ? It may or it may not but it is sure worth a try to try to keep these guys safe. What they do is hard enough.

And FYI you should know that the garrettford fire house has its parking lot across the street so the firefighters have no choice but to cross. The audible warning if anything will at least catch peoples attention enough to slow down when they see the firemen crossing. And like i said before i do understand it gets annoying... but i do notice a difference in the drivers when the siren is on vs. off

JJ - If it were the year 1970 and no other technology was available, I would tolerate it without batting an eyelash because I am a reasonable person and I would realize that there was no proper replacement for the siren.

That being said, it is not 1970. It is 2011 and the technology is available.

You refer to the 5 minutes of sleep that somebody might lose. This is true, it might only be five minutes of sleep. Even if losing 5 minutes of sleep every night were acceptable, what about the the good, hard working people in this community who have trouble getting back to bed after they are disturbed? Perhaps they have a child to attend to. Maybe they have a pet with sensitive ears that they need to calm down. Perhaps they have a sleep disorder. Now, it isn't just 5 minutes of sleep... it is an hour or, in some cases, the rest of the night that the lose. Looking at it in that light, it seems to be more harassment than tradition. A fireworks show on the 4th of July is tradition. Awakening the entire neighborhood every time there is a fire call is, quite simply, an inessential annoyance.

Drew - There was no disrespect meant by that response. Yet, the sarcasm came naturally as a result of the ridiculousness of the notion that a siren would stop a person from crashing into a large flashing object.

I am being dead serious here when I say that I don't understand what is so hard about looking both ways before you cross the street. I realize, they are in a rush, but it doesn't take much time to accomplish this. I still don't believe that this is a problem not resolved by the firefighters being more careful as they cross the street, but if this is a serious problem, I am certain there are alternatives to the siren. It is no reason to disturb people that are miles away from the fire station.

Jeff i understand your argument. I can see both sides. I personally think they should limit the siren to day time only. Maybe between 7 and 10 since there is not so much traffic over night. But during the day i can still see a use for it. And if you have not noticed most people that drive should have their licenses revoked.You notice this even more when you are an emergency worker. People are pretty much oblivious. And like i have been saying based on my personal experience, the siren is a huge help when pulling out of the station. The much smaller siren mounted on the trucks don't project to the side enough to be effective for this task. I could see possibly only blowing the horn until the first truck goes responding. That would serve its purpose. But until there is a better alternative to the horn/siren, getting rid of it all together is only going to cause more problems for the garrettford volunteers

I would put my money on the fact that just about every firefighter at that station believes that the house siren is a tradition. You do not see it the same way Jeff simply because you are not involved with the fire department. Yes 4th of july is an American tradition not to mention a holiday which is why you can relate to it, but to many firefighters, the house siren is just as much a tradition and they take pride in it. The house sirens have been in service since most companies were organized. Especially for some of the older veterans of the department. Im sure they would hate to see it go.

They are volunteer. You ask them to protect your community for free which all of them do willingly. The least the community could do is let them keep the siren ( maybe limit it as stated below)if they want it. And i don't care what anyone says. If firefighters are posting saying that they want it and it is useful for safety or to help get the volunteers responding to the call quicker in addition to the paging system. I would say that the siren is quite far from inessential.

Drew - I respect your answer and your point of view there, but I still do not see how the additional element of a siren helps a driver who is, as you stated, oblivious enough to justify taking their license away. Then again, if that is the conclusion you've come to from your experience, you are entitled to that opinion.

I would love to see the fire department step up to the plate and cease sounding the siren from 10pm to 7am, as it would be a great first step in resolving this problem. Just as an added point, the fire department is not on a busy street. So, the traffic difference between night and day is minimal. If it isn't needed at night, I don't understand why it is needed during the day when visibility is higher.

JJ - I would not take that bet, because I agree with you on the fact that just about every firefighter at that station believes the house siren is tradition. In fact, I think you hit the nail directly on the head when you used the word pride. Pride and nostalgia is a really bad reason to hinder the quality of life in a community. If it is a mere issue of pride, then I am free to equate it to a person putting an airhorn on their roof and sounding it every time the Flyers score a goal. When the community tells him to shut it off because it is a disturbance, his arguement that "I take pride in the team and want the community to know it" doesn't hold much water, does it?

The flyers scoring a goal is a whole different ball game than an emergency. Each time the siren sounds it is because the fire dept. has been dispatched to a fire, accident etc.. It is much more meaningful then some knuckle head who mounts a siren for the flyers. That has no importance to the community. The siren as well as being a lasting tradition also symbolizes and lets the community know that there is an emergency and the firefighters are on their way to assist. Nobody is going to make them take it down.

JJ - That comparison was in response to you saying that they should be allowed to keep the siren for no other reason but tradition. So, in that case, it isn't a different ball game. What's the difference between the fire house awakening the entire community for what they consider a tradition or a resident awakening the entire community for what he considers a tradition?

The "they can do it just because they want to" argument doesn't hold up.

Jeff- The difference is that the fire house waking up the neighborhood is a tradition that also holds great importance. It is a tradition of service. A lone resident waking up the neighborhood for what they believe to be a tradition just does not hold the same meaning or importance. The fire house is a symbol of the community far more than a crazy hockey fan making noise.

I am a firefighter and the simple fact is that the only reason firehouses keep the horn is tradition.
We have pagers , portable radios and scanners - the only thing the horn does is wake up people in the middle of the night for miles around for no good reason.
Every township should discontinue the use of the horn - it serves no use apart from upsetting the local communities.

I live VERY close to that siren and yes the reality is, it's tradition. But it's also 2011 and this area is one of the slowest to change. Modern technology which is faster, more convenient and a hell of a lot less annoying to THE TAXPAYERS WHO PAID FOR THAT SIREN has in fact been put into our local station. An effort has been made to insure that our local fire fighters have the latest technology that they can afford, but yet they still use the siren for the aforementioned reasons. They have cell phones, pagers & radios. I've seen them out on calls and I've seen them carrying ALL the necessary equipment to silence the siren. The siren is 100% un necessary and the tax payers should be heard here. We obviously appreciate their dedication to their job and saving our smoldering @#$%, but would also appreciate a little common courtesy to the neighborhood. I think a "Love/Love" relationship would be better than a "Love/Hate" one! Right now, love the guys and their work, but HATE the siren.

I believe that siren was actually purchased with their own department money not the tax payers. While i understand the siren can be a nuisance there is still too much push to keep it going. Almost all of the personnel would like it used and it would @#$% off a lot of people if it where stopped. This is true for almost every other company in Delaware county as well. I also know of a few companies in the area that have stopped blowing their sirens and are going to start again do to the overwhelming majority wanting it back. As far as limiting the siren to certain calls ? Maybe an option. But getting rid of it all together is just not going to happen as of yet.

I don't think any resident who lives in the area would be upset it if went away forever. I still sort of believe we live in a democracy where majority rules. I would be willing to bet that most people in the area would vote against the siren. However PA has a tradition of moving extremely slowly in general, look at our liqueur laws for example. They have remained the same since prohibition ended! So I doubt I'll be given the opportunity to vote against getting woken up my kids every night, within my lifetime.
When you go into Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Radnor, Gladwyn etc... you don't hear sirens. I think if they can get the right to a decent nights sleep, we should be given the right as well.
I think the only American "tradition" we should be remembering here is the one where the people control what happens in their communities. The majority should rule here, not a handful of people dedicated to an antiquated system.

whoops... little typo in there...

here's what I meant

... So I doubt I'll be given the opportunity to vote against having my kids woken up every night, within my lifetime.

In regards to who paid for the Siren, where do you think they get "their" money from? I believe it all comes from the people in the community. It might not come out of a tax related fund, but it would come from the the people in the community, and they are all Tax payers. Every last one of them pays a tax in one way or another.

Haverford and Bryn Mawr fire companies still use siren and even horns which can be heard from a few miles away when the wind is right. Many small towns that border Drexel Hill still utilize their sirens which sometimes can be confused for the siren in Drexel Hill. I live near the Drexel Hill Fire House and hear many different sounding sirens in the area, sometimes just as loud as Drexel Hill's. I was actually at the Wawa the other day closeby, where a fireman was at the cashier. I heard the siren and apparently, so did he because he ran out and drove away in kind of a hurry. I did not hear any electronic device go off or did I see him looking at his phone. So, I guess he just heard the siren. This caught my attention and curiousity. So I guess they maybe are still needed, but maybe the length they blow can be reduced; which I believe from just listening, Drexel may hve done to one of two of their sirens already. The one siren doesn't blow as much anymore.

Ahhh that must be nice to only hear when the "wind is right". In my case the sound comes blasting through my windows even when they are closed. I actually have seen it and it is pointed right at us from a block away.

I was referring to the other sirens in the neighboring towns. When the wind is blowing towards Drexel Hill area, it sounds just as loud if not louder than Drexel Hill's siren. I live right behind the firehouse and the siren does face my windows, so I do hear it but I am pretty used to it now; so are my young kids. My baby was used to it as a newborn and still is; never was woken up by the siren.

I completely agree with scotts comment as i am familiar with the Lower merion Fire department and almost all of their stations still utilize their sirens. Every company in haverford twp. use a siren as well. And as I said before most if not all of the companies in the rest of delco. still use a siren with the exception of the other Upper Darby companies as they do not really have a response to the fire houses for most calls. This is because they are combination companies and always have career personnel and volunteers staffing the stations together rather than coming from home. For Drexel Hill and the other companies the sirens still do serve a purpose.

As for Power to the peoples comment in re guards to the "people" not being upset if the siren went away forever, the comment that I made previously where I stated that it would upset a lot of people if the siren were to be put out of service, i was referring to the members of the department that like and rely on it.

I'm a retired volunteer from Drexel hill, I can tell you that they have all the necessary equipment to silence the siren, but it's most of it is sitting in storage and hasn't been put into use. The reason why you might ask? I honestly don't know! But be aware, they do have it!

Now THAT is interesting!!!

Of course the technology is there. We are all aware of this. But in my years in the fire department (at a company that does in station staffing and does not have a working house siren) i have seen numerous times where the house siren has alerted an unaware volunteer of a surrounding communities fire dept. of a fire call. i am not saying that they are relied on 100% because they certainly are not but they do come in handy even though they are a nuisance. And the bottom line is that from what i have seen and heard the house siren/horns are just not going any time soon.

first off sirens are used for multiple reasons companies alert thier members to a call not every member has a pager, lets the people whose house is on fire know we on way or those who having medical and or car accidents know we on way you would like to know we are responding if it is your house wouldnt you it also lets the neighborhood aware they will have emergency vehicles on the road and less of a chance of accidents

These sirens wake me up at all hours nearly every night. It didn't used to be like this. This is simply noise pollution and there can't be this many fires.

The reason for the increase in siren activity is simply a result of increased call volume. The Garrettford Drexel Hill fire co does around 800 calls a year and is increasing.

keep it, it sounds cool

I'm fairly new to this area, but I can tell you the siren seemed quaint when we first got here, as it jogged memories of my childhood and all. But this middle of the night stuff, when I have trouble sleeping anyway, is borderline cruel. Add to that: one day there appeared ominous looking storm clouds + siren = strong concern! I feverishly tried to find out if there were any local warnings and there were none. I have no television, but have a radio, so I checked as many stations as I could. All of this took time! I live in an apartment, no basement available. My husband drives our only car to work every day, so where would I go? All I could do was wait, not knowing what was going on. I have health issues, so was trying to remain calm. Apparently, there was no storm threat. The only perceived threat was from the siren. Coincidences like this have happened many times since then. People seem to have fires at all hours, how inconvenient! (Tongue in cheek) The point is, I am sorry for their emergency, I am thankful for all firemen everywhere, but why does my health have to suffer stress even though I am powerless to help? Come on people! Make some phone calls to someone in power, like Homeland Security! Think of how many people just 'sluff off' the sirens now, due to their constant howling. What will happen should a real threat emerge and people need to listen to instructions? I read that if the alarm rings longer than 3 minutes, but less than 5 minutes, there is no wide-range threat. Ridiculous. I going to delay readiness for 3-5 minutes while I stare at my clock? There is no justification for this old technology, EXCEPT for using it when a real, wide-range threat is imminent! I have seen only weak excuses in this blog trying to justify its constant waling.

can move.... easy solution!!

"fireman" - your solution to someone making their opinion heard is to move? WOW, real mature!

Well here is a strong excuse. The fireman in the township have more political pull than you do. In fact the mayor has strong ties with the F.D. The township as well as the company feel that it is necessary, and to be blunt the siren has been there way longer than any of the residents. Over 100 years. The point is its simple black and white. There is no reason for the arquing back and forth on this forum. The point blank truth is the siren stays

Thanks, SamAdams! That comment is not from a real fireman, that's for sure. And, if "Wasting your time" is correct about political pull and the point blank truth, then why should any American have hope about anything?

i never said that you cannot have hope. I am just saying that if you know anything about UD township specifically it is all about politics. Additionally the UDFD is one of the busiest departments in the area so they tend to be taken care of. Whatever they feel like will help them the township will most likely side with them. Drexel hill is also the only 100% volunteer station in the township so give them some credit. The other company's have 24/7 paid staff as well as volunteer in station staffing. Most of the drexel hill firefighters respond from home. They feel as if the siren is beneficial and they as well as the other twp company's do one hell of a job. By far the most efficient and aggressive departments in the county.

Just read this entire thread and want to cast my (ineffective) vote for silencing the siren! I studied the point-counterpoints, and can't see any realistic purpose to continuing this racket. Save the siren for true area-wide emergencies (tornado warnings, etc.).

That said, I truly appreciate and support what our firefighters do, but I don't need to be reminded several times a day of their great public service. If it's all about 'tradition', might I posit that many of our country's old traditions are today considered inappropriate if not downright illegal.

The siren is not just something of tradition to the Fire Company. It is still used as a tool to alert the members of an emergency, even with all the technology out there. There are times when these systems fail without any warning; no one knows unless it does not work when the time comes. The siren still plays a huge role in notifying the members throughout your community as well as the surrounding ones.

Maybe if the runcards were correct in Upper Darby, every company wouldn't have to go to every fire alarm in the Township.
I love the comment about telling people to move. A lot of people have and section has arrived. Good luck with the fun drives then.

I've recently received my fund raising letter, I wish I could direct my donation towards silencing the siren, whether it be supplying firefighters with cell phones (you can get $10 phones and $100/yr service from TracFone), a timer, switch, or volume control, whatever technology would help.

It's embarrassing when I have guests and we have to stop talking outside for the duration of the blast; I have to think it cheapens the neighborhood when a prospective homebuyer hears the siren. I guess I'm oversensitive, but the whiny nature of the sound is especially irritating, but I suppose that's the way they are designed, to get attention.

I live a block away from this fire house and don't remember being woken up by the siren.

I live 1/2 mile from a fire dept and I've never been awaken by the alarm. I get a comfort in knowing it is there and it works. I lived in Florida for 6 months during the hurricane/tornado season and would have loved having an alarm that I could hear to warn me of a tornado. I had a Plymouth Fury III and it was a convertible when the tornado hit my area It twisted the roof on the car.

This is an interesting debate and I don't know where I stand on this issue. I live In Drexel Hill close enough to hear the fire house and I hear the horn first. I think the horn is louder then the siren. It does tend to go off a lot at 1 2 AM. If there is better technology then deffently turn it off doring the night. I do not think there is a simple answer just turning it off or leving it be all together.

A few comments on what 'Guest' of 06/09 said -- Point 1, if you've never been awakened by the siren, then what good is it to actual firefighters who might be sleeping? Or doing something noisy or in a quiet part of their house?

Point 2, if the whine is comforting to you, that's nice, but wouldn't it be better to get a scanner radio so you could keep track of the fire calls? Also, how do you know it is working if you hear nothing?

Point 3, about tornadoes, etc., that is exactly the feeling of many commentators in this forum, a community siren WOULD be useful to warn of an area-wide emergency, as it stands right now it is NOT designed for that sort of thing (at least that I know of, and if it is, how would you differentiate that from the many sirens that occur each day?).

Interesting that at times I've seen fire trucks racing down my street and the siren was still blaring. In one respect that's comforting to see that our department was responding so quickly, but if the call is already dispatched, couldn't the siren be turned off at that time?

In response of what "Prof Quill" said 11 hours ago. I know that no matter what I write in response to your comments, you will find a way to pick it apart and turn it around so that it will make you look intelligent. So, here it is. Pick it to pieces. Make yourself feel big. Have a great day.

#1. The firefighters have the equipment to be alerted when they are needed. I don't need it since:
A- my trust is in God to wake me up if I need to be awaken and B-I trust the fire department to respond since that is their chosen profession.

#2 I do have a scanner and I think it would be morbid to listen to it for the sole purpose of hearing a fire/police/ambulance call.

#3 Tornado vs. other calls? That is where a designated # of sounds comes in. One = fire. Two = ambulance. Three = police. I've tried to keep this simple but I'm sure you can pick it apart. Go for it.
I DO know the system is working since I was told the call was for testing purposes. It's not relevant who told me.

Turn off the siren? Hmmm, let's see: In an area where there are curves and mountains if the siren was not on how could you possibly know they were behind you and that you needed to move? How would you know there was a fire truck/ambulance/police coming so you wouldn't pull out on the road?

On the Interstate though where it is relatively straight road you could see the lights so the siren could be turned off. That way the people that is not in the habit of looking in their rear view mirror wouldn't have to worry about that noisy siren or what is behind them. The call has already been dispatched and we should all have a scanner to get the alert so why use the siren?

Now Prof. Quill, I have given you as many real and/or sarcastic answers as I can think of. Except for the part of my trusting God for my needs. Go ahead and pick and put your sarcastic replies. Hopefully you put your fund raising to good use.

I don't want to start or continue a flame war and will reply no more to these comments except to clarify what I meant by turning off the siren after the call is dispatched -- I mean the STATION siren that is heard all over the neighborhood, NOT the sirens on the emergency vehicles. Those are vital and in no way should be silenced (until, of course, the equipment is simply returning home).

Close this. Opened almost 6 years ago.