Are there any sirens anywhere in Fairfax County, Virginia?

[Allenorgan42099]

I know there used to be some Allertors and Thunderbolts from DC's old system there, but have never seen any sirens at all in Fairfax County (including Fairfax city). I hear there used to one at the Fairfax city hall, but does anybody know of any sirens that still remain in Fairfax County?

[PeachtreeSirens]

Fairfax County considers sirens unfeasible for their situation and ineffective in general. Personally, though, I think their argument amounts to a hill of beans given the abilities of electronic sirens.

However, I have a record on a mystery Whelen near Seven Corners that's been heard sounding in wail twice over the past 8 years. The second time, it was caught on camera. Nobody knows where it came from, but I suspect it's a fire siren. It sounds like it's omnidirectional, and the wail frequencies lend evidence in favor of it being a 2800 or early 2900.

[Allenorgan42099]

Fairfax County considers sirens unfeasible for their situation and ineffective in general. Personally, though, I think their argument amounts to a hill of beans given the abilities of electronic sirens.

However, I have a record on a mystery Whelen near Seven Corners that's been heard sounding in wail twice over the past 8 years. The second time, it was caught on camera. Nobody knows where it came from, but I suspect it's a fire siren. It sounds like it's omnidirectional, and the wail frequencies lend evidence in favor of it being a 2800 or early 2900.

I have seen that video before. I just found a VFD in Bailey's Crossroads. There is a fire box on the wall outside. Could the elusive Whelen be hiding inside the tower there?

[Rheems1]

Let me push toward solving this (though not in the way I would like), I can assure you that none of the Fairfax County stations has a fire siren... the sheer volume of calls is way to high to even consider using one anymore. The "volunteer" companies are all supplimented by career staffing 24 hours a day and they are not the podunk volunteer houses we have here in Pa... Bailey's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department did about 8,000 fire calls last year (no, that does not include the ambulance of which they may or may not have 1). 7 Corners is easily pushing 6,000 calls (including ambulance), the last Fairfax department to have a siren was Navy-Vale (later Fair Oaks) but that was back in the 1990's and it burned out (as did the neighbors who had to listen to it go off 4,000 times a year). Wish I could be more helpful on this, I don't know WHOSE it is but I do know whose it isn't LOL

[Rheems1]

Alright, looking at the map... it would appear that the Arlington Hall complex is just outside of the area known as Seven Corners. Allow me to assure you, knowing the mission of Arlington Hall, there IS an alert system there. I am going to go out onto my limb and say that the siren heard in that video from Seven Corners is an Arlington Hall alert siren.

Dave Fritz

[Allenorgan42099]

Alright, looking at the map... it would appear that the Arlington Hall complex is just outside of the area known as Seven Corners. Allow me to assure you, knowing the mission of Arlington Hall, there IS an alert system there. I am going to go out onto my limb and say that the siren heard in that video from Seven Corners is an Arlington Hall alert siren.

Dave Fritz

What mounting do you think it is? Roof, pole, water tower or what? What model Whelen did they think it was?

[Rheems1]

Pole mount or water tower mount most likely, I haven't seen many government sirens mounted on buildings.. they are normally pole or water tower mounted. It is most likely a 28XX...

[dga612]

I know this was posted MANY years ago but there was an Allertor 125 pole mounted in the North soccer field at Hunters Woods Elementary School in Reston VA many moons ago. The oldest pic I can find on Google is from 2009 and it isn't there in the photo but I can remember seeing it in the 90's and early 2000's.

I've been COMBING the internet tirelessly for an old photo but no luck. Even found old school photos but nothing of the siren.

I THINK I remember hearing this thing in the 90's but too hard to remember. I would've been a single-digit kid at the time. Grew up about a mile away.

Anyway, I wonder if they threw it out or if someone grabbed it during the removal? That's all I know

[Bijay]

I know this was posted MANY years ago but there was an Allertor 125 pole mounted in the North soccer field at Hunters Woods Elementary School in Reston VA many moons ago. The oldest pic I can find on Google is from 2009 and it isn't there in the photo but I can remember seeing it in the 90's and early 2000's.

I've been COMBING the internet tirelessly for an old photo but no luck. Even found old school photos but nothing of the siren.

I THINK I remember hearing this thing in the 90's but too hard to remember. I would've been a single-digit kid at the time. Grew up about a mile away.

Anyway, I wonder if they threw it out or if someone grabbed it during the removal? That's all I know

A county I reside in! The siren you're referring to was once part of a massive 500+ siren system that spanned across the DC metro area. The system came about in 1957 to NoVA and eventually dismantled around 1991.

Here's a WAWAS map started by Brenden a few years ago : https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing

There are plenty of photos of sirens on school campuses on FCPS' school history website crazy to think the schools I went to once all had sirens.