Mayor DeBlasio,

Noise is the biggest complaint of New Yorkers (http://www.amny.com/news/nyc-311-complaints-noise-the-biggest-issue-1.10043553).

Some of the loudest noises in New York City are sirens, which are frequent and are heard through the night. The sirens only operate at ear-splitting volume which are still loud from 5 blocks away, regardless of the hour or ambient noise.

Police, Fire and Ambulances all have very loud sirens, but Police and Fire trucks tend to use the siren just to get through dangerous intersections.

Ambulances usually leave the siren on at full volume for the duration of their trip, so they make up most of the siren noise in the city. Research suggests that the benefit of the Ambulance siren to the patient is very small to negligible (http://www.emsworld.com/article/10325079/ems-myth-4-lights-and-sirens-save-a-significant-amount-of-travel-time-and-lives).

Ambulances should have the option of a lower volume siren, which could be used at any time. For sirens used between midnight and 6 am, when ambient noise is lower, drivers should be required to choose the lower volume setting.

This is a low cost, effective way to improve the lives of all New Yorkers.