One of my reasons is that the siren is a safety factor. When people on the street hear the siren, they know that emergency vehicles will be responding. The crossing guards hear the siren and are able to clear traffic and keep your children safe.

The police hear the siren and ask dispatch where the squad is going, as their dispatch doesn’t always tell them. People in town who call 911 can hear the siren and know that help will be there soon.

I live in town, and I sleep in my own bed at night, even on my duty crew nights. At the most, two members sleep there one night during the week during their duty crew time.

Yes, we have pagers. They are not 100 percent reliable. Mine has not gone off in my back room, bedroom or at the first aid building. I hear the siren and I respond. I have come in and found people at the building who did not know there was a call because their pager did not go off.

Yes, the siren is loud; that is the point. As it is an emergency alert device, it is exempt from the noise control laws. However, we agreed to a new siren at a lower decibel level or to move the siren to another location. We were promised by the mayor that the siren would not be turned off until this was done.

I have a garden 1.5 miles from the siren. When I am in my garden, I can barely hear the siren. I do not know how people 3 miles away can complain about the noise. What I can hear are the sirens from Groveville and Crosswicks fire companies. They are farther away.

The siren rings for 20 seconds for a first aid call. Is it worth a life or turning someone into a vegetable from brain damage because of a compromised airway? What about the victim of a trauma and the golden hour?

Oh, I live seven houses from the siren, been there 25 years, and I hear fine.

Carol Smith Floyd

Allentown First Aid Squad

Allentown