doctordialtone
Member
Starting today, they're going to run tests on the sirens at 11AM every 1st Saturday of the month.
Colchester - Siren Testing 1st Saturday of the month @11AM
- Thread starter doctordialtone
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Fire Station sirens?
Colchester owns the Whelen Mass Outdoor Warning Sirens that were part of the Connecticut Yankee warning system which they purchased 25 pole mounted units from Northeast Utilities for $1.
Historically, ONLY ONE of these sirens (in the center of town) is used for fire/ems calls which is normally used from 06:00 - 21:00.
There are presently (2) newer style sirens capable of FIRE/EMS in town along with many more options than the older units. Again only one is used day to day but if required both of the new style will be used for "greater alarms of fire", including the other, older style sirens for major emergencies, weather warnings such as tornado's or at the direction of the local warning officer.
Colchester finds the "public address feature in all of these units a very useful tool for public awareness and information when required.
These sirens are tested, as stated on the 1st Saturday of each month between 11am and noon, many times by a simple (silent) "white light on/off test" but do still require a "full scale, make lots of noise test" to check the functions of the sirens and load test the batteries.
Several of the units are in need of attention, primarily due to needing battery replacement, parts are very difficult to find for the 1980's vintage units. As they get replaced with new units, the old units are used for parts to keep the remaining old units up and running. And some have already been used as parts donors.
Just another tool in Colchester's tool box that, as long as the internal batteries are good, they would be able to activated for several "3 minute duration" cycles, even without street power (which is how the batteries stay charged) and also do not require a phone or internet connection to function.
IDLED NUCLEAR PLANT HAS FIRE SALE ON SIRENS
A few years ago, if warning sirens had blared within a 10-mile radius of the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant in Haddam Neck, it would have alerted residents in 17 towns of a dangerous radioactive leak.
www.courant.com
Historically, ONLY ONE of these sirens (in the center of town) is used for fire/ems calls which is normally used from 06:00 - 21:00.
There are presently (2) newer style sirens capable of FIRE/EMS in town along with many more options than the older units. Again only one is used day to day but if required both of the new style will be used for "greater alarms of fire", including the other, older style sirens for major emergencies, weather warnings such as tornado's or at the direction of the local warning officer.
Colchester finds the "public address feature in all of these units a very useful tool for public awareness and information when required.
These sirens are tested, as stated on the 1st Saturday of each month between 11am and noon, many times by a simple (silent) "white light on/off test" but do still require a "full scale, make lots of noise test" to check the functions of the sirens and load test the batteries.
Several of the units are in need of attention, primarily due to needing battery replacement, parts are very difficult to find for the 1980's vintage units. As they get replaced with new units, the old units are used for parts to keep the remaining old units up and running. And some have already been used as parts donors.
Just another tool in Colchester's tool box that, as long as the internal batteries are good, they would be able to activated for several "3 minute duration" cycles, even without street power (which is how the batteries stay charged) and also do not require a phone or internet connection to function.
Locally, they test the sirens every Saturday. It's also a Whelan system. Whatever system the city has had has been tested weekly for as long as I can remember.
The present Whelan system can be silently tested and that was done for the first couple weeks after the system was installed. For whatever reasons, the residents complained because they didn't hear the tests every week so now we hear the "This is only a test" routine every Saturday at noon except during possible threatening weather.
The present Whelan system can be silently tested and that was done for the first couple weeks after the system was installed. For whatever reasons, the residents complained because they didn't hear the tests every week so now we hear the "This is only a test" routine every Saturday at noon except during possible threatening weather.
digitalBill
Member
I remember a few years ago when Westport's midnight silent went out loud and clear! 
Just keep the rain water out of the control box
Oct. 26 when a control box became unlatched. With rain coming down, water began pouring into it, causing the siren to sound.
fox6now.com
Oct. 26 when a control box became unlatched. With rain coming down, water began pouring into it, causing the siren to sound.
Tornado siren sounded in some communities after malfunction in Hales Corners
Articles and videos about Tornado siren sounded in some communities after malfunction in Hales Corners on FOX6 News Milwaukee | Wisconsin & Local Milwaukee News WITI.
Each of our Whelen sirens (speakers) has a control panel with a membrane keypad. Unfortunately, we discovered that that keypad begins to deteriorate after about 10 or 12 years. We had a keypad short out and the siren started sounding...at 1:00 in the morning. Opening the box to turn it off was useless. Each pole is direct wired so we called the power company to come and disconnect it. They promptly responded and removed the power. Guess what? They also have a battery backup and it lasts about 3 hours. The nearby residents were upset, to put it mildly. (One of them was the Chief of Police.) When things finally settled down, steps were taken to replace the keypads in all 14 of the sirens,
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