The Siren Board

Whelen began production of the 4003 sometime in the 1990s. We moved into our house in O'Fallon in August 1997 and the two 4003s that are slated to be replaced were already standing before we got here. That was sixteen years ago, so I have to disagree with you for doubting that they're eighteen years old.

Another reason that the city wants to replace the 3016s and 4003s is because of the moving parts. They want to go with all-omnidirectional sirens; I don't blame them. Maybe there were some rotation issues in the past, but I don't know for sure. The first 2806s were installed in 2002, so I guess they're happy with their performance, though there have been some minor glitches.

I remember when St. Louis County (Mo.) began installing 4003s in the mid-'90s, and the local news channels made a big deal over them because they were installed with solar panels attached to the wooden poles. These were the first of their kind in the county, thus being "big news".

As far as my remark that I agreed with O'Fallon replacing the two 4003s since they're eighteen years old was because all of their sirens will be the Whelen 2800 or 2900 series when the replacement program is completed in three years. The 4003s are still standing; they won't be replaced this year anyway. I'm thinking that they'll be the last ones to go, in three years, since they're the newest of the oldest sirens.

One of the 3016s replaced this week had a history of malfunctioning, so it was wise for it to be one of the first sirens to be retired.

BTW, what is the difference between the Whelen 4003/4004 and the Vortex? They look identical but is the Vortex a less expensive model?

I could be wrong, but it looks like the 4000 series is able to talk, and the VORTEX is not...


"The Battery Operated VORTEX™ Series rotating siren system consists of a speaker assembly and electronics cabinet. The VORTEX™ provides an economical alternative for powerful tone communication without compromising quality."

"The Battery Operated WPS4000 Series rotating siren system consists of a speaker assembly, a pole top mounting bracket and electronics cabinet. The rotating WPS4000 Series voice product delivers clear, powerful voice communication."

http://www.whelen.com/mass/category.php

OK, thanks! I guess I read something incorrectly in the Whelen add earlier. So, yeah, I'd say that the Vortex is less expensive.

At the fire station on Highway k. A whelen 3016 still stands. Then the rest are replaced with 2900s

At the fire station on Highway k. A whelen 3016 still stands. Then the rest are replaced with 2900s

Holy bump Batman! That being said, nice to have another St. Louis area siren enthusiast amongst us!

No, whelen2900, the rest of the sirens have not been replaced yet. Only 3 out of 12 have. This is a process that will take 4 years to complete.

You actually have another St Louis area siren enthusiast among you. I currently reside on the Jeffco side of Fenton. Sadly with no sirens near me. Not surprised to see O'Fallon purchasing omnidirectional sirens as that seems to be the trend in the area lately. Is O'Fallon's sirens under local control or under St Charles county control? This was my first post on here and I look forward to posting in the future when relevant.Great board with good info.

Nice to "meet" you, metalstorm!

Yeah, unfortunately, you're in a siren-free zone in that area, unless you travel to Arnold for their boring ATI's. I know that some other municipalities in Jeffco have their own siren systems, like Festus and Herculaneum. I remember when Crystal City had (or still has?) a 2T22 next to the water tower. That was several years ago. And I think Hillsboro had (or still has?) a Model 5 on top of the court house.

I believe that the City of O'Fallon has the ability to activate their sirens via the police dispatchers, but the system falls under the control of St. Charles County E.M.A. As far as the switch to omnidirectional Whelens, they did have some malfunction issues with the 3016s, but I'm not sure if any had to do with rotator motor failures. And since St. Charles County E.M.A. only purchases Whelen omnidirectional sirens, it was a no brainer for O'Fallon to go with them as well.