Community oversight uncovered that the blaring town horn in Neptune City, NJ is unnecessary noise pollution.

Our brave first responders primarily use updated, quiet technology to assemble response teams.

Based on reports from town and county records, the horn is often observed at times when there are no emergency calls on record.

Records also show that the overwhelming majority of daytime calls for emergency response in town relate to no observed horn use.

Meanwhile our communities are inundated with hundreds of incidents of loud noise from a blaring town horn, often ringing repeatedly in the close vicinity of homes, workplaces, libraries, and play areas, further demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the siren to quickly and consistently communicate with respected first responders.

This erratic and unreliable system must be repaired immediately. Our lives and well being depend on making our emergency response systems effective without harming our communities.

Our communities require our beloved first responders to have effective communication in order to meet the growing needs for emergency response in our town and in mutual aid efforts in the area.

We are united in our call to replace this noisy, outdated, and unnecessary noise pollution from our environment and transform the current response system into one that meets community need and offers people peace.

Noise is bad for our health and well-being. Study on the negative health effects of noise is well documented.

“Noise is a stressor on the human body. It causes the “fight or flight” syndrome, releasing cortisol and other harmful chemicals into the blood stream. Over time, these chemicals build up in the body, leading to a host of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, aggression, chronic fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, mental illness, and anxiety.” Lois Goines and Louis Hagler, “Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague,” Southern Journal of Medicine, March 2007, pp.287-294.

“Excessive noise is very harmful to children. Noise pollution creates developmental delays in fetuses and cognitive delays in toddlers. Noise can cause or worsen learning disabilities and hearing loss in children.” Maria Klatte, Kirsten Bergstrom, and Thomas Lachmann, “Does Noise Affect Learning? A Short Review on Noise Effects on Cognitive Performance in Children,” Frontiers in Psychology, August 30, 2013. Does noise affect learning? A short review on noise effects on cognitive performance in children (nih.gov)

We, the undersigned, respectfully and peacefully demand that Neptune City stop using the horn immediately in response to this community call and remake working systems for the benefit of all. Our lives and the success of our first responders all depend on repairing this broken system into one that supports everyone.

In Peace and Unity,