this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2025
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Only a little related, but I live near a firehouse and their siren is obnoxiously loud, and I always wonder who is it for? What purpose does a super loud siren serve? I'm like 2 blocks away and it hurts the ears.. Is it really necessary to alert a 4 block radius that your scrambling the squirt gun trucks? They must have radios and cell phones and yet if they get a call they need an air raid siren like we're surviving the blitz?
Siren enthusiast here. The fire siren has likely been there for longer than you and any of the firefighters there, and in fact fire sirens predate the concept of an "air raid siren". Originally they were used to summon volunteer firefighters to the station, and many still are commonly used alongside the pagers in case the firefighters don't have their pagers or there's an issue with them. In an emergency, this can and does save lives.
The sirens also serve a secondary purpose in alerting traffic to clear the roads for the responding fire engines and letting the victims of the fire know that help is on the way. Many fire sirens also act as a noon whistle which doubles as a test to ensure it works when needed.
Mechanical sirens are extremely reliable and require very little maintenance, so they can always be counted on to work when they're needed. Radios and pagers aren't always as reliable. While you might not enjoy the noise, they're an important part of keeping you and the community safe.
yes, because it warns cars to clear out in front of the fire station.
the same reason they blare the siren when they on the road. so people will get out of the way.
I don't think the problem is having one to alert people. The issue is how loud is too loud to serve that purpose? It sounds like it may be too loud.
it has to be very loud to do that. it's also probably a legal requirement for it to be that loud
While they do have to be loud to do their job, you are making assumptions about its volume. The only one with actual experience with it is saying it's too loud.
i live two blocks from a firestation. it doesn't bother me anytime they set off the alarm of the fire trucks go by. it's just life. i have lived here for 5 years and it doesn't bother me at all.
OP is just the type of person who didn't do their research and is now demanding the world around them cater to their preferences, instead of finding a place to live that caters to their preferences. They are the proverbial NIMBY. If they are so bothered by the noise, they should move. When I lived next to a noise place... I moved.
Sort of like renting an apartment above a bar/night club and wondering why it's so noisy at night.
Again, you are making assumptions. Maybe they are as you described, but unless you know them and the fire station in question, you don't know that their fire station isn't louder than is reasonable. In sum, it's unfair to criticize them because you have zero evidence.
No, I know that emergency vehicles have specific decibel requirements required by law.
It's not a matter of reason. It's a matter of law.
You are speaking of minimum requirements. Do they have maximums? Do all governments comply with the law all the time? Again, you're trying to draw conclusions without specific evidence for this case. I can't tell if you're being obtuse or are just a troll.
Fire alarms on trucks are required to be 123 dB in the USA. It's a federal law.
that level of noise is painful. Why? Because it GETS PEOPLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. the sound is supposed to make you want get away from it.
you are the one trolling, acting like some no nothing whining about living next to a firehouse has the right to complain about a firehouse being LOUD DURING EMERGENCIES.
but keep telling me how stupid I am and how smart you are.