Hamilton, OH

Hamilton is a city in Butler County, Ohio, 20 miles north of Cincinnati, that has a rather unique siren system

Siren System History

Hamilton had 7 5/6 port Federal Signal Thunderbolt 1000ATSA2s, and 1 4/5 port Thunderbolt 1000ATSA1. These sirens were located at:

• Lincoln Elementary School
• Hamilton High School
• McKinley Elementary School
• Monroe Elementary School
• Hamilton Fire Company No.5
• Hamilton Fire Company No.11
• St. Ann Catholic School/Church
• Hamilton City Garage

These sirens accompany a rare 7/10 port HOR Super Sirex No. 15 located near the middle of the city on the former municipal building. This is likely the last existing unit of this model.

Current System

Since then, 3 of the 8 Thunderbolts have been removed:

• Hamilton City Garage (Was removed due to renovations, indirectly replaced by a 508)
• Hamilton High School (School was renovated entirely in 2010, directly replaced by a 2001-130)
• Lincoln Elementary (School was demolished in 2010, no direct replacement)

All other sirens remain in place and are in working order, however the siren at the former site of McKinley Elementary has a reverse-wired blower.

In 2014, Hamilton added 3 Federal Signal 508s to the system. Due to an erroneous news report that stated the sirens were replacing the old system, many enthusiasts thought the old system would be replaced, rather than added to. However, in 2016 it was discovered that the city would only replace sirens as they died. Hamilton tests their sirens with the rest of Butler County, on the first Wednesday of every month at Noon, weather permitting.

In 2016, the city sold the Hamilton High School and City Garage Thunderbolts via GovDeals.com. Their fate is currently unknown.