Air Raid Sirens in the '50s

[turkeycall]

I have to think real hard to remember what I had for supper last night but a whole lot of stuff from 60+ years ago still rattles around in my head.

It seems to me that in the early and mid-fifties - maybe one Saturday per month at noon - an air raid siren would go off. It would sound for maybe a minute. I don't recall an "all clear" being sounded.

Our house was on Farmbrook, between Frankfort and Southampton and the siren sounded close, so I figure the siren horns were on top of the fire station at E. Warren and Alter.

I Googled it yesterday. The sirens were powered by a Chrysler Hemi.

Am I wrong, right, or just totally confused?

[Scottathew]

You're right sir.

[turkeycall]

But, what was the reason for sounding the siren? Was it for frightening the children or just monthly preventive maintenance?

[Scottathew]

But, what was the reason for sounding the siren? Was it for frightening the children or just monthly preventive maintenance?

To this day the air raid sirens, or as my generation calls them, "tornado sirens" are still tested on the first Saturday of the month at 1pm for several minutes.

[Honky Tonk]

But, what was the reason for sounding the siren? Was it for frightening the children or just monthly preventive maintenance?

for frightening the children....

[Scottathew]

Here's a description of Oakland County's siren system: https://www.oakgov.com/homelandsecur...orn_siren.aspx

[Wesley Mouch]

for frightening the children....

I wasn't frightened. I thought they were cool and wanted to go out and find them. But I followed PLC power lines for fun as a kind. Say what you will.

I grew up in the 60s & 70s in a city neighborhood -- and I remember them being tested each week. Are you sure they've stopped?

[Jimaz]

Some tornado sirens have been getting voice upgrades to issue more specific warnings. I heard one once in the distance but couldn't make out the words.

[jcole]

But, what was the reason for sounding the siren? Was it for frightening the children or just monthly preventive maintenance?

That was the days of "The Cold War" so they were making sure that they were in good repair to warn us just before we were about to be vaporized.

[Honky Tonk]

I wasn't frightened. I thought they were cool and wanted to go out and find them. But I followed PLC power lines for fun as a kind. Say what you will.

I grew up in the 60s & 70s in a city neighborhood -- and I remember them being tested each week. Are you sure they've stopped?

In Detroit they stopped for years due to neglect, incompetence, and lack of concern. During the Kirkpatrick Administration, the old school models were replaced with modern versions, and I have heard them being tested Saturdays around noon.

[ndavies]

Some tornado sirens have been getting voice upgrades to issue more specific warnings. I heard one once in the distance but couldn't make out the words.

Monroe county recently went the other way. They removed the speaker ones and replaced them with louder sirens. Monroe's sirens went off twice on Sunday for tornado sightings.

[EastsideAl]

I remember the air raid sirens going off every Saturday at 1 PM for all of my childhood. There was one not far away from us, so it was very loud. Drowning out the very beginning of Tigers' games, college football games, etc. on TV.

Of course, I also remember going by the Nike bases on Belle Isle and down by the river near my grandmother's house on the eastside, and being excited any time we saw one on its launcher out of the silo. Also enjoyed the "duck and cover" drills in my Detroit Public School elementary school. We even had a game we made out of those drills called "air raid dodgeball."

Didn't consider the implications of all of this back then, of course. Now, in retrospect, I find its commonplace-ness in our lives chilling.

[MikeM]

Still tested on the first Saturday of every month.

[Scottathew]

Still tested on the first Saturday of every month.

Oakland County skips December, January, and February. Also, the April test isn't on the first Saturday, it's rescheduled for severe weather awareness week.

https://www.oakgov.com/homelandsecur...iren_test.aspx

[Richard]

We had them growing up in Minneapolis but they were,like mentioned,known as tornado warnings and tested weekly.

They were the same way in Kissimmee Fl when I lived there but removed because people complained of the noise when they tested them.

Two weeks later tornados came through the city in the middle
of the night and killed in excess of 250 because there was no way to warn anybody.

Really cool about the hemi powered ones.

[CassTechGrad]

I remember the duck-and-cover drill we had in my elementary school back in the late 1950’s and seeing the civil defense advertisements on the bus. They should explode one of those real big nuclear bombs off today somewhere out in the ocean so the young people can see what the end of the world is going to look like.

[EastsideAl]

Duck and cover, baby:


It's interesting to me how quickly the Cold War fear and planning disappeared, and how quickly it passed from public consciousness. I'm amazed at how disbelieving younger people are now when I try to explain to them how it was. I think it just seems far-fetched and absurd if you weren't actually there.

[douglasm]

Had those duck and cover drills when I was in Junior High School.

And 48397 is correct in calling them "tornado sirens". Out here in Washington [[state) we have no need for them.....we have flash flood sirens......but "tornado sirens" were what we called them in Ferndale. There was 1 on the fire station at 9 Mile and Livernois.

[Stinger4me]

I thought they tested them once a month on a Saturday.

[lpg]

I grew up in Lincoln Park. In Hoover Elementary we had the air raid, fire and tornado drills. On top of the Hudsons Budget store at Fort and Emmons was one of the old Civil Defense air raid sirens. Tested on the 1st Saturday of the month at 1pm. Also another one on top of city hall at Southfield and Fort Park. No problem hearing them. A few years back they were replaced with the latest technology, the ones that could transmit voice. The one behind Hoover school has not worked in years. No one seems to know what the problem is. With the old one, if it went off anytime other than the test day, you went inside and turned on the radio or TV to see what was going on. Sometimes older is better.

[beachboy]

for frightening the children....

Scared me ... used to hear them on the occasional visit, once when my folks were in Hudson's ... the video brought back forgettable memories ... lived in Hawai`i decades ago - tsunami siren went off - deja vu all over again

[Honky Tonk]

Air Raid sirens are being tested in Detroit right now. They're no where near as loud as when I was a kid. [[hearing going?)

[Jimaz]

Some tornado sirens have been getting voice upgrades to issue more specific warnings. I heard one once in the distance but couldn't make out the words.

I have to correct this now. Today [[Saturday) I heard the sirens at 1PM and could clearly hear the voice announcing that this was only a test. Maybe this siren was recently added.

Here's a video by a guy who made his own siren out of wood: Building the air raid siren. He explains how it works.

Testing the air raid siren

[Honky Tonk]

I have to correct this now. Today [[Saturday) I heard the sirens at 1PM and could clearly hear the voice announcing that this was only a test. Maybe this siren was recently added.

Here's a video by a guy who made his own siren out of wood: Building the air raid siren. He explains how it works.

Testing the air raid siren

Are you in Detroit? If you are, you must live underneath one. I was hard pressed to hear the siren let alone voices in my neck of the City. [[though occasionally I do hear voices but I'll save that for another post) If there had been wind, rain, and thunder, I'm sure I wouldn't have heard it. I hope the phone goes off with one of those annoying red alert sounds, otherwise I'll be doing the scene from The Wizard of Oz.

[Jimaz]

Are you in Detroit?

No, Utica, although the siren voice said it was for Sterling Heights.

...you must live underneath one.

I don't know exactly where it is yet but I intend to look for it.

...I'll be doing the scene from The Wizard of Oz.

These sirens always remind me of the movie The Time Machine with those creepy Morlocks.