Whelen WPS-2809 Siren Test, St.Louis, Missouri

[SentryDefender1275]

Test # 2 of the day, St.Louis city was testing every 30 minutes
Enjoy! https://youtu.be/Xxp9frKiRdQ?si=dpog1XjFMjK6z62Z

[Randomizer]

Oh nice. I thought that the City only had 2806 and 07s. No idea there was an -09 out there.

This system is supposedly on the brink of being replaced due to a high number of siren failures and soaring repair costs. The system was installed in 2001 (probably one of the last, if not the last Whelen system to go in with -864s before the -2020s were rolled out), so its hit its expected lifespan.

There were requests for qualifications sent out last year but I haven't heard anything since. I thought the plan had been to have a new system going in about now so we'll see what happens.

[Randomizer]

What an update....an absolutely massive tornado went through the area this afternoon. Bet this lights a fire under them to finish the upgrade.

Hope everyone is okay.

[SentryDefender1275]

What an update....an absolutely massive tornado went through the area this afternoon. Bet this lights a fire under them to finish the upgrade.

Hope everyone is okay.

They failed to set the sirens off

[Randomizer]

What an update....an absolutely massive tornado went through the area this afternoon. Bet this lights a fire under them to finish the upgrade.

Hope everyone is okay.

They failed to set the sirens off

I've been following the news and its quite the scandal (as it ought to be). Emergency management had been out of the office at a retreat (on a day where the forecast indicated they probably needed to be at the office). The city turned over control of the sirens from emergency management to STLFD the next day only to find that FD's encoder, which had been there for redundancy, was broken and perhaps had been for some time.

They're promising a fully automated system within a year.