NORWICH – In a time when cell phones are ubiquitous and emergency alerts can be sent within seconds, the idea of updating an old-school firehouse siren might seem unnecessary.
Not so, says Taftville Fire Co. Chief Timothy Jencks, whose department recently modified its station’s siren configuration.
“The siren is the only 100% reliable source of notifying members of calls,” Jencks said. “There’ve been times this year when members learned of emergency calls from hearing the siren when their phones or pagers were charging or not nearby or our radios had gone down.”
The new siren sounding sequence now issues one round of wails for daily testing; two rounds for medical aid calls; and six iterations for fires. Jencks said the modifications are aimed at limiting siren wear-and-tear while initiating soundings only when needed.