Thu Apr 22, 2010 5:11 pm
Wow, I never saw it going this far. Great work guys...I see no reason for ASC not to get the bid. I'd rather have a loud as hell lower pitched siren (T121 or T128) than a higher pitched siren screaming at me any day of the week. I, too, have questioned the raise in decibals on the new 2001. I've never personally heard a 2001, but I can attest that while in Winder, GA a few years ago during a tornado warning, I was surrounded by a Model 2, 2 or 3 2001's, and could really only hear the 2001's lightly when they rotated towards me. They were all within a mile, one of them about a half a mile away. The Model 2 was about a half a mile away but inaudible. The Eclipse 8H they have installed seems to fair no better. It was decently loud at about a quarter of a mile, at best, surrounded by buildings but higher than them all. Now, the Whelen Vortex that is over a mile from my old house in Nicholson was very, very audible when it sounded. I could hear it indoors in wail. I heard it, albeit barely, over a washing machine and dryer, and my tv going. That's when I stepped out onto the front porch to see what was going on and was met with a lime green and purple-ish sky...
I say go with the ASC's. 121 @ 100ft constant is enough to warn anyone and I agree with going with a couple more of them for the hilly landscape. I prefer omni sirens as it is...I agree with the matter at hand that only 25% is warned at a time technically with a rotating siren using the beam of sound
I would like to see how the outcome of this. I'm glad our voices were heard. Our voices have been heard before with me, once before. I was helping Jack Hierholzer, a gentleman who used to work with the Bogart City Council, on Oconee County, GA installing some sirens. I was there with siren recordings in hand. A rep from SafetyComm was there and when he said that the sirens can produce all signals, our EMA director QUICKLY jumped in and shut him down stating we only need one, for tornadoes. What about train derailment or attack? No, stated again, only tornadoes. At this time, or city council was fubared. Look up the word if you don't know what it means... When the mayor of Bogart was in favor of something, there were 2 guys on the team who opposed it. When she was opposing something, those same 2 guys would always coincidentally be in favor.
As far as I know now, the city council has stiffened a bit and grown a little more mature per se, but at any rate, we voted, and 90 percent of the people there were in favor of, not only a siren installed at Bogart City Hall, but a full system of small sirens in Oconee County. At the next months City Council meeting, 2 people from Statham, the neighboring town were there, and they disclosed that Statham has not 1, but 2 sirens, that "hardly ever get used and just stand there." What about when they do get used? They're loud and annoying ,was the response, and a waste of money. All they could talk about was how stupid of a decision it would be to install sirens as little as they would get used. Correct-Oconee County has very little tornadoes along with Barrow and Gwinett Counties, who both have sirens.
The next meeting adjourned with bids going out to ASC, Whelen, Sentry Siren thanks to me, and FSC. The next meeting adjourned with full opposition of sirens with the budget going to improve the city park's entrance and some of the city streets, which were completely driveable and in very good overall shape. Thanks for shorting us. 250 phone calls were made and recorded on paper at the meeting before and every household that answered was in favor of tornado sirens. Many were shocked that we had NO sirens at all, except for a Model A on one of the firehouses in High Shoals.
So, I've been in a similar situation. Not really too similar though, but it was getting them to understand sirens were necessary. EVERY person at those meetings, albeit a handfull, were in favor. The ones not in favor were the ones who usually went against anything, and the 2 people from Statham to complain about how they never get used.
Sorry if I swayed off topic but it made me thing that maybe we can make a difference there too. We need sirens here. There have been several times a tornado warning was sent out in the middle of the night and nobody knew it. I hope to see ASC get the bid.
James M. Dean
