Civil Defense Sirens Wiki

IMPORTANT - As of August 26th, 2024, the Civil Defense Sirens Wiki has been moved to the official Air Raid Sirens Wiki, which can be found here. This site has been discontinued and may no longer be updated. Please do not edit any articles here.-

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Civil Defense Sirens Wiki
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This list is meant to catalog sirens that do not have enough information about them to warrant a full article being made. These may be given pages if enough new information arises about them or their manufacturers.

List of miscellaneous sirens[]

Colerain sirens[]

Colerain sirens
Question Mark
Static-assets-upload13323072887600151859
The larger Colerain siren.
CompanyMessner Bros.
Question Mark
Produced198?
Type
  • Directional Electromechanical
  • Omnidirectional Electromechanical

The Colerain sirens are the community-given name of 2 sirens built by the owner of the Messner Bros. workshop in Colerain, OH in the 1980s, which were used for weather warnings. The larger of the two is a large directional siren, making use of a single-tone rotor and stator with a high port count. This was done to create a dual-tone effect. The motor is presumably housed by the large cylindrical assembly behind the siren's horn. The entire siren is held up by several supports beneath the cylindrical assembly and the horn. The smaller of the 2 is an omnidirectional siren, likely making use of a second-hand modified bench grinder, with rotors and stators fitted to each end. The rotors and stators on this siren have a lower port count compared to the larger of the two. Similarly to the larger siren, this was done to create a dual-tone effect. The siren is enclosed in a large rectangular housing. Both of these sirens were removed in 2015 and were presumably scrapped.

Federal Electric Type C[]

Federal Electric Type C
FS Logo 1980s
Vehicular Model A
A Type C unit in private possession.
CompanyFederal Electric
1950 Logo
Produced192/3?-1948?
TypeDirectional Electromechanical
Voltage6 V DC

The Type C was an early directional electromechanical vehicular siren introduced by Federal Electric, likely introduced in the late 1920s to early 1930s. The Type C, at its core, is essentially a lower-voltage Type A, utilizing the same 6-port rotor and stator and a tiny 6 V AC/DC motor, which likely could be operated on batteries. The motor is encased in a bell-shaped housing which also acts as a horn near its flanged part, projecting the sound produced by the rotor and stator. The siren's intake, as opposed to the Type A's, is also flanged and has the siren's tag bolted to its top. Earlier Type C units used a default Federal Electric tag which labeled it as a "Model A", which led to much confusion in the community regarding the siren's actual name. The siren is attached to a long, thin stand that swivels below the siren. These were likely meant for vehicular use such as on fire engines or other emergency vehicles, as Federal had not created the Class C, Q-Siren, or its other popular vehicular sirens yet. Unfortunately, the Type C didn't appear to sell very well, likely due to its bulkiness compared to other vehicular sirens at the time. It does not appear that these were produced beyond 1948, as the very few units known to exist are from the Federal Electric era.

Federal Electric plant siren[]

Federal Electric plant siren
FS Logo 1980s
Weird thing
One of the only known photos of the siren to exist. Image taken April 12th, 1942. Sourced from Mike Muniz on Flickr.
CompanyFederal Electric
1950 Logo
ProducedApril 12th, 1942?
TypeDirectional Electromechanical

For a short time in the early 1940s, a large directional siren was installed on Federal Electric's manufacturing plant in Chicago, IL, which lacks a known model name and was likely a one-off design. The siren consists of an 8-port rotor and stator and is driven by a motor located behind the siren's large conical projector. The siren's intake is cylindrical and is bolted to the front of the stator. 8 support beams that extend to the back of the projector prevent it from warping out of shape, as its large flimsy design would make it very prone to deforming. This entire assembly is mounted on top of several large beams, and a ladder is included near the siren's rear to allow for maintenance work to be done.

A small sign bearing the word "FEDERAL" hangs below the projector, attached by a few ropes tied to one of the siren's mounting beams. Several chains attached to the projector and rear end of the siren hold the entire assembly in place. This design is commonly regarded as a Model 500 prototype, although it came nearly a decade before the 500 was thought up and shares very little in common with the Model 500 itself, aside from the relatively similar projector design that early units utilized. Very little is known about this siren; it may have been used as an industrial siren, or as a demonstration, though both of these are speculation and completely unconfirmed. The siren was likely taken down and scrapped soon after it was built, as very few images exist of it. At the very latest, assuming it stuck around, it could've been removed in the 1950s when the plant was partially demolished to make room for I-94, or 1973, after which the plant was gone entirely.

IMLCorp SoundCommander[]

The IMLCorp SoundCommander series is a series of electronic sirens made for giant voice purposes WIP..…

JURK WaA38[]

JURK WaA38
JURKlogo
Bakelite thingy
A JURK WaA38 unit.
CompanyJURK Sirenfabrik
JURKlogo
Produced1933?-1945?
TypeDirectional Hand-powered Mechanical

The WaA38 (Waffenamt 38) is a directional mechanical hand-powered siren produced by JURK Sirenenfabrik (or Sirenfabrik), which was a Radeburg, SN-based manufacturer of air raid warning sirens founded by Heino von Amelunxen in 1933. The WaA38 consists of a 7-port rotor and stator and is powered by several gears connected to a retractable hand crank. The gears are enclosed in a housing located behind a frame that connects both it and the rotor and stator assembly to the siren's stand. A large, flared horn covers the rotor and stator, shielding them from the elements and directing the siren's sound forward as well. A cover with several smaller openings is bolted onto the front of the stator to prevent debris from entering the rotor. The WaA38 comes with a shutter mechanism, making use of a stator ring, which covers the ports when a small lever above the stator attached to a return spring beneath the horn is pulled forward. A rectangular hole is cut out from the siren's horn to make room for the lever. A handle is located above the siren for the user to hold while turning the crank. Many units are known to exist today, with most being privately owned.

KPT Model KIS K6[]

KPT Model KIS K6
E
Kis-4 (1)
A side-view of the siren.
CompanyKPT Industries
E
Produced2000s?-present
TypeDirectional Electromechanical
Voltage240 V AC/DC

The Model KIS K6, also referred to as simply just the KIS, is a small directional electromechanical industrial siren produced by KPT Industries, a Kolhapur, MH-based electric tool company, and was likely introduced sometime during the early 2000s. The siren is intended for use in industrial areas, indoor use, and short-range outdoor warning. The siren is extremely simple in terms of design, consisting of a small aluminum 5-port rotor and stator driven by a 240 V AC/DC motor. The brushes are visible near the tail end of the motor. The siren's tag is placed on the left side of the motor, held on by 2 screws. The front of the rotor is covered by a cylindrical disc held on by 3 screws, with a screen in the center to prevent potential injury from misuse of the siren, as it is small enough to be handheld. The motor is placed on a horseshoe-shaped stand which has 2 bolts on each end, allowing for the siren to be mounted on a flat surface. The Model KIS K6 weighs around 1.7 kg. According to KPT, the siren can be heard from up to 2 km, depending on where the rotor is facing, as it is a directional siren.

Lion King Model LK-ES[]

Lion King Model LK-ES
Lion king logo but better
Lk-es
A Model LK-ES.
CompanyTaizhou Lion King Signal
Lion king logo but better
Produced200?-2021
TypeOmnidirectional Gas-Driven Mechanical
Sound output128 dB @ 1 m (3 ft)
Frequency50/60 Hz
Horsepower13 hp

The Model LK-ES is an omnidirectional gas-driven mechanical siren produced by Taizhou Lion King Signal, or simply Lion King, based in the People's Republic of China. The siren was first introduced sometime in the mid-to-late 2000s and was produced until 2021 when it was discontinued by Lion King. The siren continues to be sold by several Lion King rebranders. The siren uses the base of a Model LK JDL-400, which consists of a consists of a 10-port rotor and stator with a large, thin rain shield bolted above them, which protects the siren from the elements. A small eyebolt is located above the rain shield. The rotor is rigged to a 13 hp Honda engine which spins it at 3600 rpm. The engine runs on 93-octane premium-grade gasoline and consumes around 3.3 l of fuel in an hour. A large IP44 enclosure is mounted behind the engine, containing the sire's controls and 2 12 V 17 Ah batteries. The entire assembly is mounted on a cart with 4 wheels, with the assembly being removable. A handle is also attached to the cart. The siren can be activated with a remote control that is included with the siren which has a range of ≤100 meters and allows the siren to perform various signals. The Model LK-ES reaches 128 dB at 1 m (3 ft).

Monmouth siren[]

wip

North American Signal Model No. SI-3[]

North American Signal Model No. SI-3
Nasig logo
S-l1600 (6)
A privately owned SI-3.
CompanyNorth American Signal
Nasig logo
Produced1962?-198/9?
TypeDirectional Electromechanical
Frequency60 Hz
Voltage110 V AC

The Model No. SI-3 is a vehicular directional electromechanical siren produced by the North American Signal Company, a Wheeling, IL-based manufacturer of automotive warning lights and accessories, likely from its inception in 1962 to sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. Very few units exist, with most being in the hands of collectors, and not much is known about the siren. The Model No. SI-3 consists of a small 8-port rotor and stator and is driven by a small, 110 V AC motor of unknown horsepower located behind the stator. The motor on the only unit known to exist lacks housing, though it is unclear if this goes for all of these sirens. A simple pedestal mount is located between the stator and motor and allows the siren to be mounted to a flat surface. The ports on the stator have finger guards to prevent injury from misuse of the siren, as it is small enough to be handheld. A large, rounded cover is located in front of the stator, which acts as a finger guard and prevents debris from entering the rotor.

Red Mound siren[]

Red Mound siren
Question Mark
FB IMG 1692252177243
The Red Mound siren.
TypeOmnidirectional Electronic
Frequency50/60 Hz

A directional electromechanical siren exists in Red Mound, WI, whose make or model is currently unknown. The siren uses an 18-port rotor and stator, with the rotor having a ring in the middle. 2 beams are bolted to the front of the stator, covering the stator. The siren is driven by a motor located behind the stator. The motor is likely not original to the siren. The entire assembly is bolted to a large rectangular frame via several support beams. The origins of the siren are unknown; it was likely shop-built by someone who derived inspiration from Denver or Sterling's sirens. The siren is in a deplorable condition, with multiple serious cracks on the stator which would render the siren inoperable without major repairs. It is also badly leaning and may collapse if not remedied soon.

Signaalapparatenfabriek Den Haag B8[]

Signaalapparatenfabriek Den Haag B8
Question Mark
Nothing
CompanySignaalapparatenfabriek Den Haag
Question Mark
Produced1970s-?
TypeOmnidirectional? Electromechanical
Voltage220 V

The B8 (also written B.8) was a siren produced by a "Signaalapparatenfabriek" of The Hague, ZH. Very little is known about the siren, although according to IG WaSi, they were 7 port, ran on 220 V motors, had a starting current of 0.95 A, and weighed about 6 kg (13.2 lbs). They were produced sometime in the 1970s and were discontinued at a later unknown date. Neither any B8 units nor information regarding the company exist.

Weathercall IntelliSiren[]

WeatherCall IntelliSiren
QD
Int
A Weathercall IntelliSiren unit.
Company
  • Weathercall Services
    QD
  • Techtrol
    TechTrol thing
Produced2020-present
TypeOmnidirectional Electronic
Frequency50/60 Hz
Wattage600/1200 W

The WeatherCall IntelliSiren is a series of small electronic sirens produced by TechTrol and distributed by WeatherCall Services (who would provide the "activation of the sirens and keep an eye on the location and the warnings issued by the National Weather Service.", according to their website.), introduced in 2020. The sirens are intended for smaller communities and are designed to be as inexpensive as possible, in a similar vein to Custer Electric's sirens. IntelliSirens are as simple as an electronic siren can get, essentially consisting of either 6 or 12 100 W speakers in between circular metal plates shielding the speakers from the elements. 6 or 12 dividers attached to the metal plates are present in between the speakers.

The IntelliSiren has mounting legs located on both the top and bottom of the assembly. The sirens can operate via AC or solar power, the most common option. The IntelliSiren activates automatically when the unit is within a tornado polygon, requiring no human interaction, per WeatherCall's website. The siren is programmed to notify a cell phone when a unit is activated or if it fails to activate. As of 2023, the IntelliSiren is only known to have been installed in a few locations, due to being a relatively new siren, with most being installed to replace older inactive sirens. This has caused some controversy with several members of the siren community, arguing that they are poor stand-ins for the sirens they have replaced. Nevertheless, they are claimed to be relatively decent in terms of sound output, though exact ratings are unknown. It remains to be seen how successful the IntelliSiren will be.

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