Emergency Notification Siren

Fire Sirens… Why are they needed?

The purpose of the Emergency Notification Siren is to alert the citizens and the Mebane Fire Department members of an emergency. While we rely on other forms of communication such as pagers and cell phones, they have their short comings. Batteries die, pagers and cell phones are not on the person, text messaging and smart phone apps are often delayed, with some calls not coming through at all. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that there are at least 2 reliable means to alert firefighters. The siren gets the firefighters attention at any time.

The siren is a symbol we still live in a community where men and women are still willing to volunteer.  It says to everyone, somebody needs help. When people in town hear the siren, it tells them there’s an emergency going on somewhere and it helps with traffic. It warns citizens to be alert for volunteers responding to the firehouse and to watch out for fire trucks responding to an incident. When it’s your time of emergency, a siren reassures you that help is on the way!

Like the distance to the closest fire hydrant, fire sirens also help with the cost of homeowner’s insurance, counting as points toward a better score on an Insurance Services Office evaluation. The higher the score given to the fire department, the lower the insurance costs to the homeowner.

With consideration to the citizens, frequency of the siren use is limited. Primarily used when volunteers are responding to the station for calls of service such as, a house fire, serious MVC or a call alerting multiple fire departments. The siren does not sound for medical or public service calls.

The Mebane Fire Department is a combination department that provides service for the City of Mebane and the surrounding area as well as mutual aid to neighboring departments. The staff responds to over 2900 calls annually.