Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com
Published - Sunday, December 02, 2007
Siren’s song will cease: Daily testing of warning system to stop
 Starting at the beginning of next year, the village won't hold its daily siren test anymore. Photo by Matthew Perenchio |
People in or traveling through West Salem will only have about another month to know it’s 6 p.m. without looking at a clock.
The familiar daily testing of the village’s two warning sirens will stop effective Jan. 1, 2008, as the village board voted last week to terminate the evening test.
However, both sirens — one on top of the fire hall in the downtown area and the other near Kiwk Trip on Highway 16 — will continue to be tested monthly with the county’s regular test; that test occurs at 11 a.m. the first Monday of every month.
The change came at the urging of Don Brenengen, owner of Brenengen Chevrolet, and Eric Bauer, president of the West Salem Business Association. The two attended the board’s Nov. 20 meeting and said the daily siren testing was a nuisance and there was no need for it.
Brenengen said in his research, there was no legal reason to test the sirens daily and local emergency departments didn’t feel there was a need to test them so frequently.
“It kind of is, in our area, a nuisance,” said Brenengen, whose business is across from the siren on the village’s west side. “It seems like our community is adding to noise pollution. If there’s no real need to have (the daily test), why do we do it?”
The 6 p.m. siren test has been conducted daily since 1974, when the fire hall siren was installed. Originally, one purpose of the siren was to call firefighters to the hall when there was an emergency, although the fire department and first responders have since moved to pagers.
The siren was maintained by the fire department until about four years ago when it became inoperable and repairs were needed. At that time, the village opted to take ownership of the siren and continue its daily testing. In addition, the village installed a second siren in 1998 to cover more of the village.
According to Village Administrator Teresa Schnitzler, any testing of the sirens — meant to make sure they work — is controlled by a timer, which makes the siren emit a loud sound for about 30 seconds. Other than testing, the siren would only be activated during a civil emergency, such as a tornado or an attack.
Brenengen and Bauer, though, said the daily testing is too much. Bauer, who lives across from Village Park and near the downtown siren, said people in the park often come over and ask where to take cover.
“It’s just an oddity,” Bauer said. “Kids are crying (and) covering their ears.”
Brenengen said he had collected about 300 signatures from business owners and some residents who were in favor of discontinuing the daily siren testing, although Schnitzler said the petition was not submitted. Brenengen also said the Village People — an organization aimed at promoting the downtown — were in favor of discontinuing the daily testing, and the WSBA did not speak negatively of it.
However, board Trustee Terry Hanson said the siren testing has not only become a West Salem tradition — dating back to when a bell was used to call firefighters — but it’s necessary to ensure the village’s civil defense system is operational.
“The purpose of it to be up there was to save lives,” Hanson said. “I’m not going to be the guy to tell a mother her kid died because the sirens didn’t work.”
Brenengen, though, said if the siren is heard every day, people become unmindful to its meaning.
“We don’t want to jeopardize the public’s safety in any way, shape or form, but when it goes off every day, people get desensitized to it,” Brenengen said.
Trustee Jim Leicht said he has also thought about that point.
“I, too, think the defense test is way overboard,” he said. “I really question what people would do if we really did have severe weather.”
According to Schnitzler, the siren would stay on for an extended period of time if there was an emergency.
“If there’s a civil emergency, that thing stays on,” she said. “We’ve got a problem if it goes off more than 30 seconds.”
Brenengen said he measured the siren’s signal with a decibel meter, which registered 107 to 110 decibels from his home three blocks away and 115 to 118 dB at Kwik Trip.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders’ Web site, any regular exposure of 110 dB for more than a minute risks permanent hearing loss. The site states 110 dB can be commonly associated with sounds from a jackhammer, a power saw and a symphony orchestra. A thunderclap is generally 120 dB.
The board voted 5-1 to cease the daily testing. Hanson voted against the motion while Village President Dennis Manthei and board members Leicht, Merlin Wehrs, Diana Engel and Helen Harold voted in favor.
Schnitzler had suggested holding an advisory referendum on whether to stop the daily siren testing.
“It would have been interesting to know or hear how the rest of the community feels about the 6 p.m. daily testing,” said Schnitzler after the meeting.
All stories copyright 2006 Coulee News and other attributed sources.