Fire siren set to return

For generations La Conner’s volunteer firefighters had been called to action by an old 1950s civil defense “air raid” siren.

In 2011, bending to the will of some lodging proprietors, the Town Council voted to eliminate the howling siren during weekdays, when the fire station was manned 24 hours per day.

Several weeks ago, the last volunteer to man the station round-the-clock left, but the siren wasn’t turned back on.

Maybe few have noticed the five-cycle warble has been missing for awhile, but come Oct. 1, people will notice its return.

The siren will be switched back on full time, the Town Council agreed unanimously by consensus this month. A notice will go out to residents with the next water bill, Mayor Ramon Hayes said.

As Councilwoman MaryLee Chambers noted at last week’s council meeting, it’s about public safety.

Sure, every firefighter has a pager, and lots of them have cell phones — but the siren adds another layer of notification when the electronic system fails, which happens once in awhile.

Since the siren has been off, there have been times when the backup notification would have been helpful, La Conner Fire Chief Dan Taylor told the council last week.

Most recently the scary situation came to light during last month’s fierce windstorm that knocked out power and even caused the 911 system to go down for awhile.

Firefighters were left to self-dispatch, Taylor said. In situations like that, the siren would have been useful to summon volunteers.

After some discussion, the council members agreed that needing the siren even once in awhile is once when a life could depend on it. Therefore, the five members of the council all said they want it turned back on.

Councilman Bill Stokes suggested that the local lodging establishments, who were the most vocal opponents of the siren during the issue’s last go-round before the council, could post notices for guests to let them know that the town uses the siren to summon firefighters.

Last time the siren was in the news, several residents came to its defense. Public safety aside, it is part of the character of this small town, some say.

And people who have needed to dial 911 have said it is reassuring to hear the siren’s wail, letting them know that help is on the way.