Human Air Raid Siren

January 1951: The Colorado Civil Defense Department received a letter from a woman volunteering to become the state's "first air raid siren."

Terre Haute Tribune - Jan 21, 1951

Perhaps they should have used her. When non-human sirens were installed the following year they reportedly didn't elicit much reaction. From Colorado: A History of the Centennial State:

Mort Stern, a writer for The Denver Post, reported in April 1952, "Denver's first air raid siren since World War II howled like a love-hungry wolf at a full moon at 11 a.m. Monday, but blasé citizens in the downtown area showed not the slightest reaction."

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Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 16, 2016
Category: 1950s

Comments

Perhaps the town needed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnTwMcr2srk

Posted by KDP on 12/16/16 at 09:21 AM

Those folks probably figured if the North Koreans flew their bombers all the way to Denver, there was no point in resisting.

Posted by Virtual on 12/16/16 at 01:28 PM

Our sirens are used for tornado warnings and are tested at noon on Mondays. Being an aircraft parts manufacturer, we get a lot of auditors from different parts of the country. During the season, it is quite normal for these visitors to ask about tornados and our contingency plans if one was to strike. The look on their face when the sirens go off is priceless.

Posted by GFinKS on 12/16/16 at 01:34 PM

Some sirens double as a public address system. I'll never forget the one I heard in Missouri -- the warble for a severe storm and then the announcement: "It's raining. Go inside. Go in out of the rain."

Posted by Phideaux on 12/16/16 at 02:35 PM

Maybe she meant siren as in the sea sirens - luring aircraft to their doom.

Posted by TheCannyScot on 12/17/16 at 06:32 AM

CannyScot -- That was my first thought. Then I thought, Nah, she was nuts.

Posted by Alex on 12/17/16 at 07:31 AM

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