The Siren Board

Hello everyone. I keep reading online that no city/municipality sounds an all-clear signal, but I know of a city that used to. Growing up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, I heard the 2T22 down the street all too often. I remember in the early to mid 1990's, Bartlesville would sound the sirens 3 times for a tornado warning, whether or not there was an actual tornado. I remember my parents waiting for the second and third blasts, the latter being the "all-clear" as they called it. Anyway, I thought I'd share that with everyone because its been so long ago that it seems like history to me. Thanks for your time.

Here in Washtenaw County, Michigan, many of the communities used an "All-Clear" signal into the 1990s. The city of Saline would manually cycle their siren through a 3-5 minute "attack" signal for a Tornado Warning, then a one minute steady blast for the official all-clear. Meanwhile, Ypsilanti Twp. would use a four minute steady blast on the sirens to announce a Tornado Warning, then they would cycle the sirens through a four minute fire cycle (eight seconds on/eight seconds off) to announce an all-clear. However, this really caused a lot of confusion, especially when a major fire would breakout when a tornado warning was in effect for the area. The fire department would then again run the sirens for a four minute steady signal for a second time.

The village of Manchester had numerous signals to alert the public of various emergencies on their Sterling M-5:

* Fire/Rescue signal: One thirty seconds blast if the call was within the village limits; two thirty seconds blast if in the country.
* Tornado Warning: Four one minute blasts, with 15 second down time in between each cycle.
* Blizzard Warning: Five minute fast wail.
* Attack Warning: Five minute rise fall signal: eight seconds on; four seconds off.
* Dam Failure/Flood Warning: A repeating cycle of one long; one short blast for five minutes.
* All-Clear: Three minute steady blast.

Every year, the fire department would run a full-page add in local newspaper, and mail out postcards with the different siren signals graphically printed on one side. Today, however, they utilize a refurbished 2/3T22 siren for fire calls, and the 2001DC siren is used for tornado warnings. So basically, you have just two signals that are used, which is far less confusing.

In Mount Shasta, California, we had a system of air horns which sounded long and short blasts for fire calls. Because of the town's limited water supply, all residents were required to shut off any outdoor water use until the all clear (three one-second blasts) was sounded.

The Whelens here in Columbus use the air horn signal for an all clear.
Not my video

...I can recall a few times in the early 70's that the sirens here in Shawnee Co. (Ks.) where sounded as an all clear after the tornado warning had been lifted.

All clears were eliminated because of confusion by residents i.e was that the all clear I heard or another warning and the fact that a community doe not want to issue an all clear then have a sudden storm pop up and kill a few folks who came out "because the govt. said i could" IN fact we STRONGLY DISCOURAGE our folks from using an all clear. My thoughts are you warned them it is their responsibility to access public broadcast and decide when it is safe to come out...

The City of Columbiana, OH's Tornado Warning procedure calls for a steady three minute tone and a air-horn tone thereafter the warning has been dropped in place of an all-clear plan. That's pretty much the only place near me that I know with some sort of plan including an all-clear.

500AT wrote:Here in Washtenaw County, Michigan, many of the communities used an "All-Clear" signal into the 1990s. The city of Saline would manually cycle their siren through a 3-5 minute "attack" signal for a Tornado Warning, then a one minute steady blast for the official all-clear. Meanwhile, Ypsilanti Twp. would use a four minute steady blast on the sirens to announce a Tornado Warning, then they would cycle the sirens through a four minute fire cycle (eight seconds on/eight seconds off) to announce an all-clear. However, this really caused a lot of confusion, especially when a major fire would breakout when a tornado warning was in effect for the area. The fire department would then again run the sirens for a four minute steady signal for a second time.

The village of Manchester had numerous signals to alert the public of various emergencies on their Sterling M-5:

* Fire/Rescue signal: One thirty seconds blast if the call was within the village limits; two thirty seconds blast if in the country.
* Tornado Warning: Four one minute blasts, with 15 second down time in between each cycle.
* Blizzard Warning: Five minute fast wail.
* Attack Warning: Five minute rise fall signal: eight seconds on; four seconds off.
* Dam Failure/Flood Warning: A repeating cycle of one long; one short blast for five minutes.
* All-Clear: Three minute steady blast.

Every year, the fire department would run a full-page add in local newspaper, and mail out postcards with the different siren signals graphically printed on one side. Today, however, they utilize a refurbished 2/3T22 siren for fire calls, and the 2001DC siren is used for tornado warnings. So basically, you have just two signals that are used, which is far less confusing.

Manchester has a Sterling???!!!

Bedford_1003 wrote:Manchester has a Sterling???!!!

Final paragraph, sentence 2 of 500AT's post (which you quoted):

500AT wrote: Today, however, they utilize a refurbished 2/3T22 siren for fire calls, and the 2001DC siren is used for tornado warnings.

Calhoun and Oakland Counties in Michigan both had the same policy as far back as I can remember (the early 80s)--no all-clear signals. I remember the siren explanation posters in libraries and other public buildings specifying that while an all-clear signal would be heard after an attack warning, that there would be no all-clear given for tornado warnings, and "if you hear more sirens, there are more storms on the way."