Tooele County, Utah
| Tooele County, Utah | |
 Whelen 2806 | |
| Type | Chemical Spill, Natural Disaster, Fire Department Call |
|---|---|
| Location | Tooele County area, UT |
| Date installed | 2006-2007 |
| Status | Active |
| Testing dates | Every week on Wednsday |
| Testing times | Around 4PM |
Tooele County, located in the U.S. state of Utah, operates and maintains an all-hazards siren system of 27 sirens, comprised of 14 Whelen WPS-2810s, 3 2809s, 9 2806s, and 1 2906. The system is tested every Wednesday at 4:00PM, depending on dispatch availability. The system sounds for any reason deemed necessary by the county authorities, whether it be for wildfires, severe storms, or earthquake aftershocks.
History
Various townships and settlements in Tooele County used sirens to alert residents of fires and other emergencies. There were a variety of sirens found throughout Tooele County, all of which were produced by Sterling, and Federal Electric Company (later renamed Federal Signal Corporation).
Fire and Air Raid Sirens
Tooele City
After holding a fundraiser, Tooele City purchased their first siren in October of 1919, a Federal Electric Type B. Mounted on a 65ft tower near the fire station, it later accompanied another siren in the same spot, installed in 1944. The model is currently unknown. In 1947, the sirens in Tooele City were equipped with heaters, to help mitigate freezing in the winter. These sirens were later directly replaced in 1965, after Tooele City purchased a Federal Signal Thunderbolt 1003. Civil Defense Funds covered $2,000 of the approximated $3,000 final cost. In 1953, a Federal Signal 3T22 was purchased and installed in the south part of town, on a water tank at the mouth of Settlement Canyon. These sirens served Tooele City until being replaced in 1995.
Grantsville
Grantsville City used sirens since the 1940s, eventually installing up to three sirens by 1980. The only confirmed siren is a Model 7 at the fire station. However, newspaper articles do mention a siren on Cherry Street, and another siren located in town, circa 1940.
Stockton
Stockton had a fire siren installed on the roof of the city shop, directly next to Stockton Miner's Café. A Federal Signal Model J and a Sterling 2V8 siren sat here until 2016, until being removed and repossessed by the Fire Chief. The sirens currently sit awaiting restoration, as the Sterling is missing the top cap.
Tooele Army Depot, Dugway Proving Ground
Emergency sirens were in use on the military installations throughout Tooele county, supplied by a variety of manufacturers. Tooele Army Depot had a Sterling Code Siren and later a Federal Sign & Signal Model 3, both located on the north side of the fire department, located at the corner of Commander Blvd. and E. Headquarters Loop. These sirens sat side-by-side until being removed by the early 2000s. Another siren on base does still exist today, a Federal Sign & Signal Model 5, which sits on a tower along Patrol Road, 2.6 miles west of the fire department.
Two legacy sirens remain on the Tooele Army Depot South property. A Federal Signal STH-10 can be found in the direct center of the ammunition storage site, and an Alerting Communicators of America P-15 can be found at the south-eastern corner of the site. A Federal Sign & Signal 3T22 was found at the south end of the site, located on the roof of a building. This portion of the site was demolished and left unused by the early 2000s.
One Federal Sign & Signal 3T22 siren can be found at the Dugway West Desert Facility, located on the roof of a building along Stark Road, north of the west side water tower.
CSEPP and The Tooele County Outdoor Warning System
After the construction of a new incinerator at Tooele Army Depot in 1993, Tooele County approved the installation of 37 Whelen sirens, at a cost of 2.7 million dollars. Funded by FEMA through the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), these sirens were set up throughout Tooele and Rush Valleys to warn the residents of a possible emergency caused by the facility. Tooele County received 26 sirens, three in Utah County, two on the north end of Tooele Army Depot, and six at the south facility. Installed at a variety of remote sites, these sirens could often be found miles from the nearest settlement, many being found at recreation sites and reservoirs. Testing was scheduled every Wednesday at 1:00PM. In Tooele City, the sirens at West Elementary, Elton Park, Deseret Peak Complex, and Settlement Canyon were used for fire alerts by 1995, before later discontinuing the practice in the early 2000s.
County officials conducted sound propagation surveys in October of 1998, and by late 2001, Tooele County Emergency Management requested proposals for the installation of 23 additional Whelen sirens. These sirens were installed and in use by July of 2003, bringing the total siren count to 60 units. They were installed throughout the rest of Tooele County, now covering Grantsville, Erda, Stansbury, and Pine Canyon. The test time was later rescheduled to every Wednesday at 4:00PM.
Downsizing and Relocations
The disposal of all chemical weapons at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility concluded in January of 2012, and by November of the same year, Tooele County had removed over half of their siren sites, and downsized their system to the 27 known today. These sirens were later stored at the city shop located on Coleman and Main Streets, before disappearing in late 2023. Many of the sirens saw relocation to more populated parts of the county, as the sirens in east Erda and Lake Point were found installed shortly after the project, in 2012.