Town To Install New Solar Sirens

Blaring sirens will soon break the silence in Middlefield - again.

The was recently awarded a $52,456 Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant to pay for three new solar powered emergency sirens at no cost to the town.

The new sirens will replace the town's antiquated system, which currently relies on battery powered sirens to alert volunteers of an emergency.

"On average, we've been paying about $40 a month to charge [each of] those batteries" with electricity, Fire Chief Dave Quick said.

In addition to the cost savings, Quick said the older sirens were also becoming less reliable.

"The sirens are part of the Connecticut Yankee nuclear alert system, that was established in the 1980's, probably late 70's. They don't make them anymore and maintenance was becoming an issue."

The sirens haven't worked in about a year and were recently disconnected.

Firefighters and ambulance crews are notified of an emergency - everything from an actual fire to a medical call - through pagers, but the sirens serve as a secondary means of notification.

"You hear the whistle blow and you go to the firehouse," said Deputy Chief Jay Wickham, who worked closely with Middlefield Joe Geruch to secure the grant. "That's they way it was back in the old days," he continued.

Quick said the sirens will be programmed to go off in 30 second intervals.

"During the daytime hours, the sirens will blow for all calls. At night we'll modify that, based on the nature of the call," Quick said. "We're trying to be considerate to the public."

Quick said the town is awaiting final approval from the state and said he hoped the new sirens would be installed sometime in April.

Two of the sirens will be installed at their current locations; the intersection of Main Street and Cherry Hill Road in Rockfall and at the firehouse.

A third siren - which at one time had been used to alert firefighters who worked at Lyman Gun Sight Corp. - will replace an emergency siren along Way Road, across from .

"We figured that would give us better coverage over in the lake area," Quick said.

He said the department will notify the public when the sirens are installed and ready to use in the Town Times.

The sirens will be manufactured and installed by Whelen Engineering Company Inc. of Chester, CT, which specializes in manufacturing emergency warning equipment, including police sirens.

Quick said the new sirens will not only serve as a benefit to public safety, but will also renew curiosity among some residents.

"The fire department whistle blows and they run over to their scanner and turn it up. They want to hear what's happening."

Editor's Note: For video of a similar Whelen Siren click here.