By Craig K. Paskoski
The Evening Sun
HANOVER, Pa. — Something is missing in New Oxford and Abbottstown. It isn’t a treasured antique or a historical marker. It’s the piercing blasts from the firehouse sirens in those boroughs.
A victim of technology, budget constraints and complaints from business owners, the traditional alert for firefighters has been silenced, according to United Hook & Ladder No. 33 officials.
“It’s kind of outdated,” United Fire Chief Steve Rabine told New Oxford’s Borough Council at the Dec. 6 meeting. “And, the bed and breakfasts were asking us to silence the sirens. We’re happy we could work with the community.”
The sirens have been used since the 1950s to summon volunteer firefighters in the area to respond to emergencies. Instead, United firefighters, fire police, and EMTs will use pagers to alert them to emergency calls.
Few in New Oxford are sad to see the ear-shattering siren at the North Bolton Street station go quiet.
“A lot of other people in town that have been here longer than us might miss it, but we’re thrilled,” said Mary Jo Higinbotham, owner of Higinbotham’s Bed & Breakfast and Tea Room on Lincoln Way West. “There is nothing worse than getting woken up three times a night. They are right behind our house.”
Elizabeth Sutton, one of the owners of the Barker House Bed and Breakfast, also on Lincoln Way West, said it is a relief to hear that the fire company will not be using the siren on a regular basis.
“We’re used to it because we live here, but when you’ve got guests that aren’t used to it, it can make you sit up in bed,” she said.
“We all appreciate what they (firefighters) do, it’s just that it is so intense,” Sutton said. “It’s something that has been a problem here.”
Earlier this year, United decided to limit the use of the sirens to daytime hours in response to complaints from residents and business owners.
Rabine said there had only been a couple complaints from residents about the siren in Abbottstown.
According to Rabine, shutting down the siren will also be a cost-saving measure for United, which was formed in 2009 with the merger of the fire departments from New Oxford and Abbottstown. Both stations are maintained and respond to calls.
“The decision to eliminate siren usage completely was an economic one as well,” Rabine said. “By not activating the sirens at both firehouses, it will save approximately $300 to $400 annually.”
After an electricity usage study, the sirens were determined to be “no longer cost effective.”
According to Faith Peterson, publicity chairperson for United, the siren would wail five or six times during an emergency alert.
“It would go for a long time, and if they didn’t get a response the first time, they would have to do it again,” she said. “The fact that it’s not blowing all the time will be appreciated by everybody.”
The firehouse sirens will still be activated for weather-related emergencies, take cover situations and monthly testing by the Adams County Department of Emergency Services.
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