The City of Milford and Carlisle Fire Company are working on a license agreement to address the city’s fire sirens.
Milford has three fire sirens, but only one - the one attached to the water tower downtown near City Hall - is operating.
The license would make all three operational and add a fourth siren. It would also allow the fire company to put the sirens just outside city limits.
Milford city manager Mark Whitfield says over the years city leaders and fire department personnel have heard complaints about how loud the current siren is.
“We have one siren right now that is located on top of our water tower, which is right in the center of town and because we only have one (active) siren - it’s extremely loud. And part of the loudness is necessary to be able to reach a broader area. But for a populated area it’s not in an ideal location,” he said.
Whitfield says moving it and the others to the edge of town would address that issue.
"There's one vendor that does primarily all the sirens in Delaware, and if we decide to do this, that consultant will conduct a decibel map, so that we hit a certain decibel throughout the City," he said. "We're shooting for 60 decibels or lower."
Whitfield notes that the existing siren on top of the water tower could be moved to the electric substation on Elks Lodge Road. It - along with the three other sirens - would provide the needed coverage for firefighters responding.
The license would also reactivate a siren at the electric substation just off Route 14 -- and move an unused siren on Marshall Street to the city’s water treatment facility on Northeast Front Street and reactivate it.
Whitfield says the plan would also install a new siren at the water treatment facility at the intersection of Route 113 and Shawnee Road.
Attorneys for the fire department are currently reviewing the license agreement.
