"Lassie" to speak at Fire Prevention pancake break

[Rheems1]

The curfew horn still sounds at 10:00 every night, the Diaphone at one of the firehouses has been shut off (and might be coming home with me).. but there is another Diaphone that sounds as well as a high pitched diaphram horn. When I go up to run ambulance at the Fame I always make sure to be outside at 10:00 to hear the horns blast. I have a good friend who lives in Altoona and have been up at his firehouse when they have gotten a call (SD-10 at Lakemont)... what a sound.

Dave Fritz

[Robert Gift]

The curfew horn still sounds at 10:00 every night, the Diaphone at one of the firehouses has been shut off (and might be coming home with me).. but there is another Diaphone that sounds as well as a high pitched diaphram horn. When I go up to run ambulance at the Fame I always make sure to be outside at 10:00 to hear the horns blast. I have a good friend who lives in Altoona and have been up at his firehouse when they have gotten a call (SD-10 at Lakemont)... what a sound.Dave Fritz

What is "Fame".
Have you heard Lewistown's curfew?
Thank you,

[Rheems1]

The Fame is the name of the ambulance company that covers Lewistown Borough, it used to be a fire department ambulance many years ago. The Henderson and the Fame Fire Departments decided to merge into the United Hose and Truck Company and thus the fire deparmtent went away.. but the ambulance company lives on (doing around 6,000 calls a year). Yes I have heard the curfew (as is evident by me knowing that one of the horns is shut off and the type of horns that blast) and it still sounds good. The GCS Model 2 at Highland Park sounds first, than the high pitched diaphram and the Diaphone take turns blasting for 3 rounds or so. Sounds good!

Dave Fritz

[Robert Gift]

Thanks, Dave.

In the late 50s to early 60s I heard the curfew from grandmother's duplex on Pennibaker Ave 4 houses south of Walnut.
I recall it sounded as though it was west of grandmother's house.

It had a frightening, strange, spooky sound, like: "BEEEEEEEE..... arrUUUUgah, BEEEEEEEEE.........arrUUUUgah, ........arrUUUUgah.

How did it produce that strange sound?
Why the third, "arrUUUUgah"?

One day it went off in the early evening, sounding many times.
My grandmother was able to discern the "code" and said there was a fire on her street!
South of her house on the east side of the street, firemen had a ladder up to a chimney and were spraying water down the flue.
Even as a little boy, I wondered if cold water was cracking the chimney and hot furnace parts. (Now I am a chimney sweep and know it was!)

[Rheems1]

LOL,.. the BEEEEE was the diaphram horn at the City Hook and Ladder Company. If you were at Pennebacker and Walnut you would have been just behind the former Fame Fire Company... the arrUUUgah was the Diaphone at the other firehouse (the one I am working on obtaining)... the second arrUUUgah might have come from the 3rd firehouse in town which also has a Diaphone that sounds the same. The horns were used to "honk" out zones of the borough of Lewistown... so it is very possible that you grandmother read the box number and knew where the fire department was going.

Dave Fritz

Pride of the Fleet.. Fame EMS.. Lewistown, Pa:



Patrick Shoop Jr. Photograph

[Robert Gift]

LOL,.. the BEEEEE was the diaphram horn at the City Hook and Ladder Company. If you were at Pennebacker and Walnut you would have been just behind the former Fame Fire Company... the arrUUUgah was the Diaphone at the other firehouse (the one I am working on obtaining)... the second arrUUUgah might have come from the 3rd firehouse in town which also has a Diaphone that sounds the same. The horns were used to "honk" out zones of the borough of Lewistown... so it is very possible that you grandmother read the box number and knew where the fire department was going. Dave Fritz

So, I heard the BEEEEE from the station behind, west of, grandmother's house on Pennebaker 4 or 5 residents south of Walmut.
The arrUUUgah was at the end of the BEEEEE due to arrival time at speed of sound.
Interesting!
I thought it was from the same spot, and when I joined ARS, could not figure how one device made both sounds - unless the arrUUUgah was residual air leaking off after the initial BEEEEE.
Thanks, Dave.

[Rheems1]

Yeppers, that is exactly what it was... the diaphram horn at the City sounds a very high pitched toot... and BEEEEE is exactly the sound I would use to describe it. The Diaphone horns are set up on a slight delay which is why they sound after the diaphram horn.... it isn't really the time it takes for the sound to reach as it is the delay. Was just up in Lewistown for the annual halloween parade.. was hoping they would sound the horns and the siren at the Brooklyn... but no such luck.

Dave Fritz