Another firehouse siren goes silent, but not without a fight & a website
When the Hillcrest VFD in Halfmoon, New York (Saratoga County) began renovations a few months back the house siren was dismantled. The commissioners of Halfmoon Fire District No. 1 decided not to bring it back, making the argument it was outdated technology.
That does not sit well with with a man who lives only 500 feet from the firehouse. Often it’s the people who live closest who complain the loudest. But this neighbor is a four-decade firefighter. George McBride is leading the battle to bring back the siren, arguing pagers and other new technology aren’t reliable.
Despite that, McBride doesn’t mind using more recent technology to bring back the fire whistle. He’s launched a website SaveOurSiren.com. It will be interesting to see how much community support there is for what is usually not a very popular item.
“The siren is actually quite ineffective,” said Victor Knorowski, vice chairman of Hillcrest’s board of commissioners. Much of the department’s 12-square-mile coverage area can’t hear it, and a radio paging system works better at a more affordable price, he said. The siren would have cost up to $20,000 to purchase and install, Knorowski said.
“When you’re out working in the yard on a lawn mower, you can’t hear your pager but you can hear that siren,” McBride said. He said he’s seen two firefighters stand next to each other and only one of their pagers go off. Also, some members can forget to wear the pagers or turn them back on, McBride said. He is the cousin of Jim McBride, the chairman of the fire district board. Jim McBride could not be reached for comment.
