The Siren
The Angwin Volunteer Fire Station siren is located on top of the Pacific Union College gym. It is the last of a network of sirens and airhorns in the town of Angwin utilized to notify volunteer firefighters in the event of an emergency where a response was needed.
Today, the remaining siren serves as one of several methods to notify volunteers of a call where a response is needed. This is in addition to pagers and cellphone messages.
We are often asked, "what do the number of sirens mean." As such we've provided a small and not complete listing below.
PLEASE NOTE: Accidental activation of incorrect siren numbers is completely possible as the activation of the siren requires human input at dispatch. Additionally, the siren is inactive from 11PM to 8AM each day.
THE SIREN IS NOT A MEANS OF COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION
One Siren Revolution
- Noon Siren Test
- Pager/Siren System Tests
- Public Assist - life assist, cat stuck in a tree, bird stuck in a tree, etc.
- Medical Aid
- Life Safety Hazard - tree down, power lines down
- Smoke Check
- Traffic Collision
Basically, anything that is not a four.
Four Siren Revolutions
- Fire Alarm Sounding
- Residential Structure Fire - whether actual or possibility of
- Commercial Structure Fire - whether actual or possibility of
- Vegetation Fire - whether actual or possibility of
FAQs
Question: I heard 2 sirens, what does that mean?
Answer: It's possible that we had a call adjacent to the noon siren, or we had two calls back to back.
Question: I heard 5 sirens, what does that mean?
Answer: It's possible that we had a four siren call adjacent to the noon siren, or we had a single siren and a four siren call back to back.
Question: Why is the siren not utilized for evacuations?
Answer: At this time the Napa County Fire Department has not utilized community warning sirens for many reasons, one of which is that it could be very easily confused with the notification of the volunteers. It is suggested you download Nixle and listen for the hi-low sirens from the Napa County Sherrif's patrol cars.
© 2022 by Angwin Volunteer Fire Department