Springfield, IL: Difference between revisions

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===Downfall of the System===
===Downfall of the System===
The system worked well when it was maintained until the twin EF2 tornadoes struck Springfield on March 12, 2006. The sirens worked fine for the first storm but it knocked out power to roughly 90% of the city. When a second storm hit later that night, only a handful of the newer sirens with battery backup or undamaged sirens that still had power sounded.<ref name=sj-r-sirens-failures>{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldsirens.tk/documents/siren_failures.pdf |title=Storm silences sirens
Over the years, the city never bothered to implement maintenance plans. The effects of this poor planning was brought to life in 1989 when the city confessed that a Thunderbolt on Stevenson Drive was dead for over 3 years and how they had a replacement for 2.5 years but didn't have the funds to replace it.<ref name=sj-r--silentsirens>{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldsirens.tk/news_articles/1989_26_May_Sirens_Need_Work.pdf |title=CITY'S SILENT SIRENS IN SHABBY SHAPE |publisher=The State Journal-Register |date=26 May 1989 |accessdate=8 November 2017}}</ref> In 2005, the city was really in trouble when 30 of the 54 sirens failed to activate during one of their tests. Within a month, they got it down to 2 sirens not working.
 
On March 12, 2006, a pair of twin F2 tornadoes struck the city. The sirens worked fine for the first storm but it knocked out power to roughly 90% of the city. When a second storm hit later that night, only a handful of the newer sirens with battery backup or undamaged sirens that still had power sounded.<ref name=sj-r-sirens-failures>{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldsirens.tk/documents/siren_failures.pdf |title=Storm silences sirens
|publisher=The State Journal-Register |date=14 March 2006 |accessdate=16 April 2017}}</ref>
|publisher=The State Journal-Register |date=14 March 2006 |accessdate=16 April 2017}}</ref>


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The story of the old siren system doesn't end at them getting removed. In June 2006, the City Council declared the old sirens to be surplus property. On March 12, 2007, then Mayor Davlin donated the usable SD-10s to surrounding communities. The communities that received the sirens included Chatham, Curran, Riverton, Spaulding and Virden. Many of the sirens where badly damaged during removal and storage and those sirens were destroyed.<ref name=city-donates-sirens>{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldsirens.tk/documents/donated_sirens/ |title=MAYOR DAVLIN DONATES TORNADO SIRENS TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES ON ANNIVERSARY OF TWIN TORNADOES |publisher=The City of Springfield |date=12 March 2007 |accessdate=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref name=road-trip>{{cite web|url=https://thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10985 |title=Road trip to Springfield IL, and some new toys |publisher=The Siren Board |date=6 July 2011 |accessdate=3 May 2017}}</ref> The only known SD-10 in Chatham was replaced in 2011 and the plans to install the siren in Curran died due to costs and no tornado safe area for the residents.
The story of the old siren system doesn't end at them getting removed. In June 2006, the City Council declared the old sirens to be surplus property. On March 12, 2007, then Mayor Davlin donated the usable SD-10s to surrounding communities. The communities that received the sirens included Chatham, Curran, Riverton, Spaulding and Virden. Many of the sirens where badly damaged during removal and storage and those sirens were destroyed.<ref name=city-donates-sirens>{{cite web|url=http://www.springfieldsirens.tk/documents/donated_sirens/ |title=MAYOR DAVLIN DONATES TORNADO SIRENS TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES ON ANNIVERSARY OF TWIN TORNADOES |publisher=The City of Springfield |date=12 March 2007 |accessdate=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref name=road-trip>{{cite web|url=https://thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10985 |title=Road trip to Springfield IL, and some new toys |publisher=The Siren Board |date=6 July 2011 |accessdate=3 May 2017}}</ref> The only known SD-10 in Chatham was replaced in 2011 and the plans to install the siren in Curran died due to costs and no tornado safe area for the residents.


In 2011, the remaining old sirens were auctioned off. For photos of the old sirens at the city lot, one can refer to the [https://thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10985 Siren Board post]. The sirens were in rather bad shape from storage and the way they were stored. The Thunderbolts had the standpipes uncovered and the horns pointing up. The other sirens were badly dented and in terrible condition. Oddly enough, the city had the sirens refurbished in 2005.
In 2011, the remaining old sirens were auctioned off. For photos of the old sirens at the city lot, one can refer to the [https://thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10985 Siren Board post].  
 
Over the years, posts on the forum have popped up about the old sirens and can be see on the [https://www.thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3002&start=60#p155114 Poorly Maintained Sirens thread] or [https://www.thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11750&sid=13950acc48431b5f6c5bbc24f18ccdb0 this post].


After the sirens were sold, there were several posts about the Thunderbolts and how they were basically destroyed while in city storage. This can be seen on the [https://www.thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3002&start=60#p155114 Poorly Maintained Sirens thread] or [https://www.thesirenboard.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11750&sid=13950acc48431b5f6c5bbc24f18ccdb0 this post].
[[File:PillsburyplantThunderbolt.JPG|thumbnail]]


==Miscellaneous==
==Miscellaneous==

Revision as of 22:22, 8 November 2017

Springfield Warning System

T-128 located at Veterans and Lindbergh.

Type Municipal
Location Springfield, Illinois
Date installed August - December 2006
Status Active
Testing dates First Tuesday of the month
Testing times 10:00 AM


The Springfield Warning System is a system comprising of 50 T-128s. The system covers the city of Springfield and several surrounding communities. The sirens are activated by the Springfield Fire Department in Springfield.

History

First Sirens

Stratton Building Thunderbolt

In late 1956, the City of Springfield purchased and installed 4 Thunderbolt 1000s throughout Springfield. The four locations included the Allis-Chalmers plant, DuBois Elementary School, the Pillsbury Plant and the Stratton Building. When tested on January 26, 1957, the sirens were barely audible in some parts of the city but it had the right effect.[1]

System Expansion

Old System Coverage Map

As the city expanded, the need for sirens also grew. The system was mainly comprised of SD-10s and approximately 8 Thunderbolts. The system also had a Model 2T, a Model 3, a Model 5 as well as several Darley models of the previous mentioned sirens. In later years, the system was expanded with several EOWS-612s as well as 2001-SRNs. Matthew Stanley from The Siren Archive has photos of a few of the sirens through out Springfield. These can be viewed on The Siren Archive under the Sangamon County category.

Downfall of the System

Over the years, the city never bothered to implement maintenance plans. The effects of this poor planning was brought to life in 1989 when the city confessed that a Thunderbolt on Stevenson Drive was dead for over 3 years and how they had a replacement for 2.5 years but didn't have the funds to replace it.[2] In 2005, the city was really in trouble when 30 of the 54 sirens failed to activate during one of their tests. Within a month, they got it down to 2 sirens not working.

On March 12, 2006, a pair of twin F2 tornadoes struck the city. The sirens worked fine for the first storm but it knocked out power to roughly 90% of the city. When a second storm hit later that night, only a handful of the newer sirens with battery backup or undamaged sirens that still had power sounded.[3]

After the Storm

After the tornadoes silenced the sirens, the city began planning to replace the sirens.

New Sirens

Originally, the city went to Federal for offers on a new siren system. In the end, the city signed a $983,000 contract with Wireless USA for a new system of 57 ASC T-128s with battery back up and computer control to be installed. By the end of November, the new siren system was installed and tested with the old system dismantled.[4]

Old Sirens

The story of the old siren system doesn't end at them getting removed. In June 2006, the City Council declared the old sirens to be surplus property. On March 12, 2007, then Mayor Davlin donated the usable SD-10s to surrounding communities. The communities that received the sirens included Chatham, Curran, Riverton, Spaulding and Virden. Many of the sirens where badly damaged during removal and storage and those sirens were destroyed.[5][6] The only known SD-10 in Chatham was replaced in 2011 and the plans to install the siren in Curran died due to costs and no tornado safe area for the residents.

In 2011, the remaining old sirens were auctioned off. For photos of the old sirens at the city lot, one can refer to the Siren Board post.

Over the years, posts on the forum have popped up about the old sirens and can be see on the Poorly Maintained Sirens thread or this post.

Miscellaneous

Some odds and ends that don't fit anywhere above.

Fun Facts

  • The original 4 air raid sirens were Thunderbolt 1000s and 2 of the 4 still remain in Springfield.
  • The downtown 1000T still stands alebit hornless.
  • The remaining Thunderbolts were a mix of single phase and three phase.

Media

References

  1. "Sound off -- The Visual Journal". The State Journal-Register. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  2. "CITY'S SILENT SIRENS IN SHABBY SHAPE". The State Journal-Register. 26 May 1989. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  3. "Storm silences sirens". The State Journal-Register. 14 March 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  4. "NEW CITY TORNADO SIRENS ARE FULLY OPERATIONAL". The City of Springfield. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  5. "MAYOR DAVLIN DONATES TORNADO SIRENS TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES ON ANNIVERSARY OF TWIN TORNADOES". The City of Springfield. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  6. "Road trip to Springfield IL, and some new toys". The Siren Board. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2017.