It is strange to think that the Cold War ended in my lifestime since it seems so distant. Apparently it was very apocalyptic.I want to make one sound off . . .
"In June 1956 the city installed 27 SD-10 Air Raid sirens around the city. Most were placed in downtown area. The cost for the initial installation was $34,735.00, of which 75% was paid for by federal government financing. This siren was one of the first group that were placed. While the city sirens providedcoverage to county islands with the city limits, Fresno County leaders reserved 10,000 dollars for the program to place sirens in county islands but waited until the effectiveness was tested by the city. The model chosen was the Federal Signal Corp. Model SD-10 (Special Duty 10 horsepower). The sirens first sounded on July 6th and were to be set off on the first Friday of the month thereafter.
The work of the sirens was short lived- by 1961, city leaders felt the community was becoming complacent and would not respond in the event the sirens blew for their intended purpose. In 1973 a new use was realized for the sirens and many were taken down refurbished and replaced for use as natural disaster warning stations. A few were replaced in their original locations others were placed near railroad tracks and city water pumps. The system then worked for a few years, no one that I have talked to remembers hearing them go off recently."
Source: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5JZB
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