The Seaforth siren will not be brought back to service after the Health Unit shut it down last year over noise concerns.
Council for the Municipality of Huron East defeated a notice of motion from Councillor Larry McGrath to approve the installation of the old siren at the Seaforth Fire Station.
The Huron Perth Public Health Unit issued an order for the municipality to stop using the siren in January 2025, saying that it exceeded the World Health Organization’s Guideline for single noise events, at over 110 decibels.
During discussion of his motion, McGrath claimed that "99 per cent of residents" wanted the siren back, including the firefighters themselves.
Fire Chief Steven Boyer pushed back on that number, saying it was a more even split.
"There's definitely people that want it, but there's definitely people that don't care if it ever comes back. We have cellphones that tell us when we're getting a call, we have pagers that tell us when we're getting a call, the days of (responding to) the siren, it's not something that exists anymore. It's a mixed feeling, but it's not 99 per cent."
Boyer said they didn't have a cost estimate for getting the siren online, noting they didn't even know where the original had gone. Staff noted that since the item was not included in the budget, the funds would have to be found somewhere.
Boyer also noted that with discussions ongoing for a new Fire Hall, the installation could only be temporary too.
