Threat of lawsuit brings end to fire siren overnight in West Virginia town
The Romney Volunteer Fire Company has chosen to switch rather than fight. They will now switch the house siren off from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. because of a threatened lawsuit. Chief G.T. Parson says they don’t have the resources to fight. But the lawyer threatening to sue on behalf of a fire department neighbor says his client doesn’t want the siren shut down, just moved to another place. The neighbor claims a former mayor put the siren where it is currently located as retaliation.
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“We pinch pennies just like every other volunteer fire department does,” Parsons added. “We don’t have the cost to endure a court battle.”
That attorney, Larry Sherman, said his client lives just below the siren’s location on top of a hill overlooking the town. He stressed that the matter should be kept out of the court system, and that he’s not seeking to shut off the siren.
“We want the fire siren to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Sherman said. “We see the need for it, and we believe it should happen that way.”
He claims that the late Bill Hicks, former mayor of Romney from 1991 to 2009, had purposely placed the siren close to his client’s house eight years ago after having disagreements. It emits frequencies that can reach 95 decibels, he said, which can cause hearing loss after prolonged periods of exposure.
Sherman also argues that no permit for the siren even exists.
