I just learned a TON about Louisville's CD system, plans

[loukycheckinin]

Hey guys. Got back from Frankfort yesterday where I spent the afternoon combing through Louisville's records on their CD system from yesteryear. I learned a ton! I'll list some bullet points below, with links to some pictures I took of supporting documents (note: the pics are uploaded full-sized so you can clearly read them). Some of this may be old news, and if that's the case, I apologize.

Here goes!

1. Louisville had **SOME** type of system in the 1940's. A document from 1944 indicated the sirens were sounding too frequently.
2. Cincy had 10 Chrysler-Bell sirens (1) (2) they no longer wanted in 1944 (3). They also had 10 Foster steam sirens (4). Louisville wanted to buy them off Cincy, but I found no documentation that this actually happened.
3. In 1945, "Louisville Medical Depot" (whatever that is) bought a 2 horsepower 220V single phase Federal Verticle Siren for use in connection with the automatic sprinkler system. I found nothing else besides this document referencing that siren, and I don't know where Louisville Medical Depot is or was.
4. In 1944, Louisville started looking for individuals to spot storms and call in upon seeing one.
5. The governments of Louisville (1) (2) and Cleveland (3) were concerned about public celebrations on V-E Day turning violent. Louisville even banned alcohol sales that day, and sent V-E Day instructions to businesses (4) (5). Chicago seemed confident all would go well. Louisville stated the official announcement of end of the war is when they sound their air-raid sirens (6) (7). Louisville made sure the sirens were ready for V-E Day.
6. Let's fast forward 10 years or so. I was under the impression the Thunderbolts in Louisville were installed sometime between 1970 and 1971. Several sources have told me the sirens were "almost brand new" when a tornado ripped though Louisville on April 3rd, 1974. It made sense to me. I didn't figure Louisville signed on as early as the likes of Denver and Cincy. I learned today, however, that Louisville wasn't too far behind the bigger cities. The first Thunderbolts went in sometime during 1957. So here's everything I've always wanted to know about our current system:
   • They were tested in ALERT for three minutes, which mirrors their tests today (1).
   • Tests used to be, for at least some period of time, every Saturday at noon (1). Today, they test on the second Tuesday of the month at noon.
   • In 1962, there were only 10 sirens in the city, and the city was getting little feedback from residents on the "hearability" of the sirens. So, they enlisted the help of the police to assess the coverage of the system. They planned to install more where needed.
   • In April of 1962, Louisville reached out to Federal Sign and Signal, inquiring if they had finished their survey of Louisville to determine where more sirens would be needed. And in May, Louisville government officials had a meeting with a representative from FS&S, and while I found no documents supporting this, I believe the rest of the Thunderbolts and 3T's in the city came along shortly after this meeting.
   • Anyway, the first sirens in Louisville were installed on top of public buildings; 5 were on top of schools (see below). Today they are all pole-mounted, save for two (both of which are decommissioned).
   • Five of the sirens in 1962 were located on top of:
     • Eastern High School. This was the first Thunderbolt I ever recorded. This siren was a 1000T at the time of my recording. It was replaced with a 2001-130 in summer of 2014.
     • Southern High School. I recorded this siren in August of 2012. It still stands, pole mounted, today. It is a 1000.
     • Seneca High School. I recorded this siren in June of 2013. It still stands, pole mounted, today. It is a 1000T.
     • Southern Junior High School. Today this school is called Olmsted Academy North. I recorded this siren in December of 2011. The 1000T I recorded at the school has been replaced with another 1000T.
     • Madison Junior High School. This school closed in 1961, and the siren was obviously removed. There is no siren anywhere on this old schools property.
     • The other 5 were on public buildings. While I found no documents supporting this, one of the roof-mounted Thunderbolts still standing today is on top of the Jefferson County Public Schools building on Newburg Road. This was probably one of the originals. It is decommissioned, and a 2001-130 is in the buildings parking lot.
   • And finally, I came across this undated document describing the 3 standard signals Louisville would use. ATTACK would be used for enemy attack. ALERT would be used for tornado warnings, and Hi-Lo would be used for fire calls (most fire stations had, and still have, 3T's). This document also states tests are scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month. To this day, we test on the second Tuesday of the month, and the sirens are always sounded in ALERT.
7. Louisville wanted to become the first city to have a "pyrotechnic warning system" installed on a research basis. They wanted it very, VERY badly (VERY) (BADLY). I don't personally know much about "pyrotechnic warning systems", but I found several documents referencing this system, for those interested (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6). From what I read, it looks like Louisville was, in fact, the first recipient of the system (7) (8).
8. Sometime in 1962, a NAWAS phone was installed in the "fire alarm office".
9. In July of 1962, Owensboro wanted to know what Louisville was up to, so Louisville sent this letter back.
10. There was a "carillon system" at Liberty National Bank branches in Louisville. I gather this system interrupts whatever is playing in their banks when a warning is sounded, but I guess my question is why Liberty National? Why not other banks, groceries, or malls? I found several documents referencing this system, for those interested. (1) (2) (3)
11. I found a checklist of "things to do" from June 4, 1962, regarding bringing the warning system up to date. (1) (2)

So where does our system stand today? Well, as of this writing, we have 132 sirens active in the metro. I count 30 active Thunderbolts (32 standing), 19 active 3T's, 6 active MOD's, 1 active Whelen, and 76 active 2001's. You can see our map in my signature below.

Whew! And that is IT folks. Geeze that took a while to type up but it was incredible learning so much about my city. Our EMA contact seems to be less than forthcoming with any details, but I'm happy I did the research and discovered on my own.

And finally, if you wish to watch my latest Louisville Thunderbolt recording (also published tonight), feel free to check it out here! :thup:

If you have any questions about any of the above, I will answer to the best of my knowledge!

Thanks so much for reading!

[Stormsetter4]

Nice job! That is some pretty interesting information!

[mrboojay]

Wow, thanks for posting. Interesting to learn snout the system's history. Also, nice video.

[Chicagosiren-hunters]

Well that just blew me away! Why I have no words!!

[metalstorm]

According to NOAA (known as the Weather Bureau in 1974) 32 sirens were activated in Louisville on April 3 1974 during the Superoutbreak. The Natural Disaster Survey conducted after the Superoutbreak mentioned both Louisville and Cincinattis CD systems. My phone wont let me post a link but the survey is available on NOAAs service assessment page. Very good stuff you have shared. Thank you.

[Mark N]

Nice share! Always was into Louisville's system (Love the Wilder Elementary 1000T with the 6M blower; must be from the era mentioned).

[Brendan W]

There was one in downtown Louisville that was seen in "The Day Of The Killer Tornadoes". Could that have been one of the '62 or '57 installs?

[Hannah]

Now that you mention that Brendan, that Thunderbolt in downtown i can assure you was the thunderbolt installed on the clock tower at city hall. When i was up in the clock tower the last time with a couple of workers that were doing maintenance i asked if i could look at the mechanics of the old clock and the bell chimes that went with it in the adjacent room. They said i could look and what not so i went in and saw that the A1 blower was still in the corner along with the old rcm cabinet, (now empty). Apperently talking to some of the people at city hall the siren head was removed along time ago with the controls but the blower being that it was too heavy to remove from the clock tower due to its location and the feasibility of getting it down from the tower safely was left behind. i have no idea if the city ever plans to come back and get the blower, but i do know they cut the standpipe off below the roof line and patched things up otherwise.

[loukycheckinin]

Thanks guys! I HIGHLY recommend doing the same for your area. Find out where your old records are kept and go see what you can find out! Kentucky's online search was very detailed. I was even able to see there was a box filled with stuff on the "Old Air Raid System". What more could I ask for?! It's weird what documents I couldn't find...nothing on the expansion of the system, for example. I also couldn't find any information on how the red thunderbolt decal on the side of the *SOME* sirens came to fruition (see my avatar). Anyway...I really appreciate the feedback!

According to NOAA (known as the Weather Bureau in 1974) 32 sirens were activated in Louisville on April 3 1974 during the Superoutbreak. The Natural Disaster Survey conducted after the Superoutbreak mentioned both Louisville and Cincinattis CD systems. My phone wont let me post a link but the survey is available on NOAAs service assessment page. Very good stuff you have shared. Thank you.

So 32 in 1974. Wow thank you! That's interesting. One of the documents I uploaded (from 1962) stated most firestations were on board with housing a siren (3T), yet I am sure more Thunderbolts were in by then as well. Who knows. Like I said, I found nothing on the expansion of the system. :eh:

Nice share! Always was into Louisville's system (Love the Wilder Elementary 1000T with the 6M blower; must be from the era mentioned).

YAAAS!! That is my favorite Thunderbolt in the system! I recorded it in July of 2012, but I recommend you hear this siren activated for a tornado warning. It's the creepiest video I have ever shot to date, and you REALLY hear that massive blowers buzz. Note: I was safely out of harms way while taking this, but we activate all sirens city-wide if any portion of the county is under a tornado warning. Check it out! (video starts at Thunderbolt activation).

There was one in downtown Louisville that was seen in "The Day Of The Killer Tornadoes". Could that have been one of the '62 or '57 installs?

Now that you mention that Brendan, that Thunderbolt in downtown i can assure you was the thunderbolt installed on the clock tower at city hall. When i was up in the clock tower the last time with a couple of workers that were doing maintenance i asked if i could look at the mechanics of the old clock and the bell chimes that went with it in the adjacent room. They said i could look and what not so i went in and saw that the A1 blower was still in the corner along with the old rcm cabinet, (now empty). Apperently talking to some of the people at city hall the siren head was removed along time ago with the controls but the blower being that it was too heavy to remove from the clock tower due to its location and the feasibility of getting it down from the tower safely was left behind. i have no idea if the city ever plans to come back and get the blower, but i do know they cut the standpipe off below the roof line and patched things up otherwise.

Ugh! How could I forget!! Yes! I have a picture of that siren that was taken in 1986 or 1987. It was surely an original! Note: this is not my picture; no copyright infringement intended. Here is a link to it (too large to post here). Thanks bringing that up! I completely forgot about that siren. :crazy:

Also, there is a Thunderbolt on top of what today is known as The Reynolds Building that may have been an original as well. I don't know what previous purpose this building served, but I do know it was decommissioned when the building was renovated. At the time, this was the best picture I could take of it. Now that they knocked a few buildings down behind it, I can get a better shot when I have the time to get down there.



For what it's worth, there was a Thunderbolt (it was number 66 in the system, shown as a red cross on my map) mounted on a fire station, but I cant say that was number 5 since fire stations probably were not initial install points.

[Brendan W]

Looks like the fallout shelter sign from the '87 pic of city hall is still there:

http://goo.gl/maps/nK5bv