Overnight fire horn sirens draw noise complaints from neighbors in Oyster Bay
The Oyster Bay Fire Department headquarters on South Street. Credit: Neil Miller
When a fire breaks out in Oyster Bay overnight, volunteer firefighters are alerted to the blaze. A text is sent. A radio relays the information. Then a loud fire horn blares through the hamlet.
The resounding overnight sirens have prompted fierce debate. Some fire officials say the horn is a key part of an emergency response. But some Oyster Bay residents say the horns are disrupting their sleep and health.
Residents have taken issue with two firehouses that serve the hamlet of Oyster Bay and some of the surrounding villages — Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 and the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company. They are located a few hundred feet from each other and were both organized in the late 1800s.
Residents are urging the firehouses to stop using the horns in favor of different technology. However, some fire officials say the sirens are needed to alert volunteers — even as other firehouses have discontinued the practice.
"It drives the community crazy," said Jason Petrello, 40, of Oyster Bay.
"We continue to be befuddled by why this archaic means is continuing to be used," said Wendy Ryden, 63, of Oyster Bay.
Fire officials say the horns are the best way to alert firefighters on Long Island, nearly all of whom are volunteers. Many do not stay at the stations overnight.
"It's a fail-safe alerting system," said Thomas Rahilly Jr., chief of department at Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1.
"Technology inherently fails. Analog technology rarely fails," he added. "Digital technology fails all the time. The radios and the sirens always work."
Over the summer, the Oyster Bay Fire Department limited the number of alarms that sound between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Now, they only go off during fires, reports of smoke or a call to support a neighboring fire company, Rahilly Jr. said.
Other calls — for example, a crash or an ambulance — do not trigger the sirens, he said. "We use the radio pagers. We also text alerts to our members," Rahilly Jr. said.
Officials from the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company No. 1 did not respond to requests for comment.
Constant or high levels of noise can cause stress-related illness, high blood pressure and other health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"There’s an obvious risk here, health-wise," Petrello said. "And it’s something that we can work toward to eliminate."
Leslie Rosenthal, an audiologist and senior director at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Medical Center, said noise can trigger a lack of sleep and anxiety.
"In general, we do live in a noisy world," Rosenthal said.
The most consequential impacts, though, are caused by "prolonged, constant exposure" to noises that exceed 85 decibels — about the volume of a food blender, Rosenthal said. Exposure to consistently loud noise is more common in places such as Manhattan, she said.
On Long Island, Rosenthal said, the issue is less acute. "They're not constant," she said of the sirens. "We're lucky."
The number of volunteer stations using a siren "is getting smaller," according to Curt Floyd, a senior specialist at the National Fire Protection Association.
"Many departments utilize a pager or alert on their cellphone," Floyd said in a statement to Newsday. "However, the need for a primary and secondary means of notification is still important."
Neither the Setauket Fire Department nor the city of Long Beach, where firefighters are paid a salary, use the sirens overnight.
Long Beach spokesman John McNally said the department doesn't use any audible siren throughout the city. The city, which has volunteers and paid staff, uses a system that sends alerts via pagers and texts, McNally said
The Setauket Fire Department uses horns only during business hours, said David Sterne, its district manager. The department staffs its station with overnight crews who respond to calls. That's not typical at volunteer stations, especially as the profession faces staffing issues, he said.
"Volunteerism in general is way down," Sterne said.
The Bay Shore Fire District uses sirens to summon its volunteers, according to Greg Nardone, a district commissioner. The horn is effective at alerting volunteers who are away from their phone or pager.
"We do get an occasional complaint," Nardone said, "but not often."
For the most part, the Huntington Manor Fire Department limits sirens to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., said Michael Pastore, a district commissioner. After that, the horn is sounded only for major fires, he said.
"Most people, at nighttime, are depending on their pagers," Pastore said of the district's volunteers.
John Spadaro, district manager of the Brentwood Fire Department, said the department doesn't use aerial horns. However, he said the horns can serve as an important safeguard.
"It not only alerts the volunteers, it also alerts the community that there will be apparatus that are responding to and from an alarm," Spadaro said.
Christina Alexander, an office manager for the Port Washington Fire Department, said sirens are still used to alert volunteers during a fire.
The district studied its effectiveness nearly 25 years ago. During a six-month period in 2000, Port Washington did not use audible alarms between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Testing found that 2.6 fewer members responded to each response, according to the district's website.
While acknowledging the alarms are an "annoyance," the district, in a page on its website, said they are reliable in power outages because they are in the firehouse, which is attached to a powerful standby generator.
"The audible alarm has been a tried and true method of alerting firefighters in Port Washington for over 70 years and is still relevant in today’s technological world," the district wrote on its website. "Many generations of Port residents have grown up depending on this system."
But in Massapequa, the fire department doesn't use sirens at any point during the day or night.
"I have 38 years in the service. I came in with the horns; I know what they were there for," Massapequa Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Friedland recalled.
He said he understands why some departments use the sirens.
"Technology evolves every day, and I honestly don't think they're necessary," Friedland said. "They annoy a lot of the neighbors."
When a fire breaks out in Oyster Bay overnight, volunteer firefighters are alerted to the blaze. A text is sent. A radio relays the information. Then a loud fire horn blares through the hamlet.
The resounding overnight sirens have prompted fierce debate. Some fire officials say the horn is a key part of an emergency response. But some Oyster Bay residents say the horns are disrupting their sleep and health.
Residents have taken issue with two firehouses that serve the hamlet of Oyster Bay and some of the surrounding villages — Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 and the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company. They are located a few hundred feet from each other and were both organized in the late 1800s.
Residents are urging the firehouses to stop using the horns in favor of different technology. However, some fire officials say the sirens are needed to alert volunteers — even as other firehouses have discontinued the practice.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The resounding overnight sirens have prompted fierce debate. Some fire officials say the horn is a key part of an emergency response. But some Oyster Bay residents say the horns are disrupting their sleep and health.
- Many firehouses have discontinued the practice of sounding alarms overnight. Instead, they rely on pagers and text messages.
Constant or high levels of noise can cause stress-related illness, high blood pressure and other health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"It drives the community crazy," said Jason Petrello, 40, of Oyster Bay.
"We continue to be befuddled by why this archaic means is continuing to be used," said Wendy Ryden, 63, of Oyster Bay.
Fire officials say the horns are the best way to alert firefighters on Long Island, nearly all of whom are volunteers. Many do not stay at the stations overnight.
"It's a fail-safe alerting system," said Thomas Rahilly Jr., chief of department at Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1.
"Technology inherently fails. Analog technology rarely fails," he added. "Digital technology fails all the time. The radios and the sirens always work."
Mitigation measures
Over the summer, the Oyster Bay Fire Department limited the number of alarms that sound between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Now, they only go off during fires, reports of smoke or a call to support a neighboring fire company, Rahilly Jr. said.
Other calls — for example, a crash or an ambulance — do not trigger the sirens, he said. "We use the radio pagers. We also text alerts to our members," Rahilly Jr. said.
Officials from the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company No. 1 did not respond to requests for comment.
Constant or high levels of noise can cause stress-related illness, high blood pressure and other health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"There’s an obvious risk here, health-wise," Petrello said. "And it’s something that we can work toward to eliminate."
Leslie Rosenthal, an audiologist and senior director at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Medical Center, said noise can trigger a lack of sleep and anxiety.
"In general, we do live in a noisy world," Rosenthal said.
The most consequential impacts, though, are caused by "prolonged, constant exposure" to noises that exceed 85 decibels — about the volume of a food blender, Rosenthal said. Exposure to consistently loud noise is more common in places such as Manhattan, she said.
On Long Island, Rosenthal said, the issue is less acute. "They're not constant," she said of the sirens. "We're lucky."
A patchwork approach
The number of volunteer stations using a siren "is getting smaller," according to Curt Floyd, a senior specialist at the National Fire Protection Association.
"Many departments utilize a pager or alert on their cellphone," Floyd said in a statement to Newsday. "However, the need for a primary and secondary means of notification is still important."
Neither the Setauket Fire Department nor the city of Long Beach, where firefighters are paid a salary, use the sirens overnight.
Long Beach spokesman John McNally said the department doesn't use any audible siren throughout the city. The city, which has volunteers and paid staff, uses a system that sends alerts via pagers and texts, McNally said
The Setauket Fire Department uses horns only during business hours, said David Sterne, its district manager. The department staffs its station with overnight crews who respond to calls. That's not typical at volunteer stations, especially as the profession faces staffing issues, he said.
"Volunteerism in general is way down," Sterne said.
The 'occasional complaint'
The Bay Shore Fire District uses sirens to summon its volunteers, according to Greg Nardone, a district commissioner. The horn is effective at alerting volunteers who are away from their phone or pager.
"We do get an occasional complaint," Nardone said, "but not often."
For the most part, the Huntington Manor Fire Department limits sirens to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., said Michael Pastore, a district commissioner. After that, the horn is sounded only for major fires, he said.
"Most people, at nighttime, are depending on their pagers," Pastore said of the district's volunteers.
John Spadaro, district manager of the Brentwood Fire Department, said the department doesn't use aerial horns. However, he said the horns can serve as an important safeguard.
"It not only alerts the volunteers, it also alerts the community that there will be apparatus that are responding to and from an alarm," Spadaro said.
Christina Alexander, an office manager for the Port Washington Fire Department, said sirens are still used to alert volunteers during a fire.
The district studied its effectiveness nearly 25 years ago. During a six-month period in 2000, Port Washington did not use audible alarms between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Testing found that 2.6 fewer members responded to each response, according to the district's website.
While acknowledging the alarms are an "annoyance," the district, in a page on its website, said they are reliable in power outages because they are in the firehouse, which is attached to a powerful standby generator.
"The audible alarm has been a tried and true method of alerting firefighters in Port Washington for over 70 years and is still relevant in today’s technological world," the district wrote on its website. "Many generations of Port residents have grown up depending on this system."
But in Massapequa, the fire department doesn't use sirens at any point during the day or night.
"I have 38 years in the service. I came in with the horns; I know what they were there for," Massapequa Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Friedland recalled.
He said he understands why some departments use the sirens.
"Technology evolves every day, and I honestly don't think they're necessary," Friedland said. "They annoy a lot of the neighbors."
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