Halt the use of Delmar NY Fire Sirens
The Issue
For many of us in our community, the wailing rhythm of fire sirens has become an intrusive sound that disturbs our peace and tranquility during the day, disrupts our restful sleep, exacerbates health issues like concussion symptoms, and overall, cuts down our quality of life. Not only does it impact our daily lives, but the presence of these sirens devalues our properties.
After a hiatus of 15-20 years, the siren was reactivated, without any warning or notification to the residents. The use of this alarm system seems unreasonable in the wake of more advanced and less intrusive technology available.
With studies from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggesting that chronic noise exposure can affect overall health and well-being, it’s time to revisit the need for this antiquated alert system. We need to consider alternatives which are effective yet do not disturb the peace of the entire community and our quality of life.
There are many articles and petitions throughout New York State regarding noise pollution from fire departments using house sirens to notify volunteers. Some of the articles go back to the 1990s. The fire departments argue that cell phones and pagers are unreliable compared to the alarm.
A recent article regarding the Queensbury NY Fire Department. (https://www.firerescue1.com/volunteer/articles/residents-of-ny-town-want-fd-siren-turned-off-2rxwePdnUYAHSLen/ discusses that the Queensbury firehouse siren was repaired after being out of service for 7 years. During the 7 years of the siren being out service, the fire department had a 100% response rate.
One could argue that volunteers may miss the call or notification because they do not have their phone on them. In 2024, it is reasonable to assume that everyone has a cell phone and has it with them 99% of the time. One benefit to a cell phone for emergency notification is that the volunteers can be provided with an address to respond directly to the emergency in lieu of responding to the fire house first.
We would also question how many volunteers actually reside close enough to hear the firehouse siren? If the fire department operated for 15-20 years without the sirens, and doesn’t use it between the hours of 7pm and 7am, it’s also reasonable to conclude they are unnecessary.
We don’t want this to be a vote against our incredible emergency responders but a vote for our quality of life as a community.
21
The Issue
For many of us in our community, the wailing rhythm of fire sirens has become an intrusive sound that disturbs our peace and tranquility during the day, disrupts our restful sleep, exacerbates health issues like concussion symptoms, and overall, cuts down our quality of life. Not only does it impact our daily lives, but the presence of these sirens devalues our properties.
After a hiatus of 15-20 years, the siren was reactivated, without any warning or notification to the residents. The use of this alarm system seems unreasonable in the wake of more advanced and less intrusive technology available.
With studies from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggesting that chronic noise exposure can affect overall health and well-being, it’s time to revisit the need for this antiquated alert system. We need to consider alternatives which are effective yet do not disturb the peace of the entire community and our quality of life.
There are many articles and petitions throughout New York State regarding noise pollution from fire departments using house sirens to notify volunteers. Some of the articles go back to the 1990s. The fire departments argue that cell phones and pagers are unreliable compared to the alarm.
A recent article regarding the Queensbury NY Fire Department. (https://www.firerescue1.com/volunteer/articles/residents-of-ny-town-want-fd-siren-turned-off-2rxwePdnUYAHSLen/ discusses that the Queensbury firehouse siren was repaired after being out of service for 7 years. During the 7 years of the siren being out service, the fire department had a 100% response rate.
One could argue that volunteers may miss the call or notification because they do not have their phone on them. In 2024, it is reasonable to assume that everyone has a cell phone and has it with them 99% of the time. One benefit to a cell phone for emergency notification is that the volunteers can be provided with an address to respond directly to the emergency in lieu of responding to the fire house first.
We would also question how many volunteers actually reside close enough to hear the firehouse siren? If the fire department operated for 15-20 years without the sirens, and doesn’t use it between the hours of 7pm and 7am, it’s also reasonable to conclude they are unnecessary.
We don’t want this to be a vote against our incredible emergency responders but a vote for our quality of life as a community.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on November 28, 2024