Indian River Discontinues Siren Temporarily During Refurbishment

The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company has chosen to temporarily discontinue its siren to ensure adequate refurbishment and relocation at the Oak Orchard facility.

While the siren is no longer the front line of fire dispatching in many communities, sirens continue to operate in communities throughout Delaware and across the country. These devices continue to be a valuable resource to alert volunteers and the community when emergency services are needed.

Sirens are an invaluable tool when pager batteries die, cell phones have no service, or firefighters are in weak signal areas, such as inside metal buildings or basements. Sirens are typically activated by electronic external receivers controlled by the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center that are far more reliable than interior portable equipment, and many volunteer fire companies have kept their sirens in service for that reason.

Indian River’s fire siren is located behind the Oak Orchard fire station on a utility pole and after decades of use and exposure to the elements it is in need of refurbishment and relocating. It is believed that the last reconditioning effort was in the early 1980s.

While Indian River utilizes the latest advancement in technology to alert firefighters, the continued usage of the siren is most desirable in the Oak Orchard community. While these faded red-plated horns have given way to "hand-held radios" and most recently to radio paging, cell phones, or computer aided dispatching as the primary alerting methodology. The siren is still the most preferred method for community awareness.

This refurbishment project is being coordinated by a trio of members including: Jim Wagner, Chief Engineer; Robert Mills, Technical Consultant; and Leolga Wright, Project Coordinator.

Illustrated herewith are various photographs during the dismantlement phase.