Springfield, Illinois: Difference between revisions
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===System Expansion=== | ===System Expansion=== | ||
[[File:Springfieldoldsirenlocations.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Old System Coverage Map]] | [[File:Springfieldoldsirenlocations.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Old System Coverage Map]] | ||
As the city expanded, the need for sirens also grew. The | 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 and a Model 5 siren. 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 [http://www.jmarcoz.com/sirens/sirenarchive.htm#illinois The Siren Archive] under the Sangamon County category. | ||
===Downfall of the System=== | ===Downfall of the System=== | ||
The system worked well 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 | 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 | ||
|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> | ||
Revision as of 14:09, 24 August 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 outlying communities. The sirens are activated by the Springfield Fire Department in Springfield.
History
First Sirens
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
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 and a Model 5 siren. 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
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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4][5] Chatham and Curran currently don't have any SD-10s in their system with Chatham having a Sentry 10V and a Model 3. and Curran with no sirens.
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. 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 motors on the old sirens were refurbished a year prior to their removal.
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 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 Thunderbolt is a 1000T and it's chopper level was set to 3 or 180v. It can be heard clearly in a video from the night of March 12, 2006. It still stands alebit hornless.
- The remaining 1000Ts were a mix of single phase and three phase.
Media
- Municipal Center Thunderbolt 1000T (The Stratton Building Thunderbolt can also be heard around 0:22)
- SD-10 Activation On March 12, 2006 (Also contains audio of the Stratton Building Thunderbolt)
- EOWS-612 Test
References
- ↑ "Sound off -- The Visual Journal". The State Journal-Register. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ↑ "Storm silences sirens". The State Journal-Register. 14 March 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ↑ "NEW CITY TORNADO SIRENS ARE FULLY OPERATIONAL". The City of Springfield. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ↑ "MAYOR DAVLIN DONATES TORNADO SIRENS TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES ON ANNIVERSARY OF TWIN TORNADOES". The City of Springfield. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ↑ "Road trip to Springfield IL, and some new toys". The Siren Board. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2017.