The Siren Board

I'm not referring to electric alarm bells, but to the large church-sized bells used by most fire stations until sirens became popular after WWI. Many departments still have their bell in a tower or on display, but do any of them still ring it to call volunteers?

Every fire bell I've seen was on display after being retired. On odd occasion a siren will accompany it. The brass bells sound nicer but they are more prone to cracks and chips. Steel bells such as those made by C. S. Bell last longer but give a less pleasing sound.

I do not believe any fire bells are still used in Wisconsin. Some similar bells are still used in churches, either for service ringing or clock towers. They sound so much nicer than the electronic bell speakers.

Yup display here too. McMinnville had a bell on the roof too... But I mean the siren is hardly even used anymore...

I think McMinnville's bell has an electric striker inside, and Seaside's can be rung manually, but I don't know of any in use. Salem and Portland both have very large bells on display that are occasionally rung by passersby.

The Church at my school has a working bell, and I hear it many times a day. I love the way it echoes through the street, and I often imagine it's a fire bell.

Unfortunately, I know of no departments that have fire bells in use.

Well . . . sorta.

A couple of years ago, while helping research my former fire department’s history, I stumbled across a 1902 newspaper account of a local church that told the story of the construction of a new sanctuary, during which the demolition of the previous structure revealed, while it rested on the ground, the town’s original fire alarm.
WHO KNEW?!
Certainly not I . . . nor any of the membership associated with the current fire department!
Arrangements were made with the church to climb the three ladders to access their bell tower, where we saw the bell that is sounded weekly to announce the worship services. Engraved into that 1884 bell are the names of the then-fire chief and town council.
The town’s 1889 purchase of a Gamewell fire alarm system required the purchase of a replacement bell, and the 1884 bell was lost for some fifteen years, then re-hidden from our view for some 113 years.

Many rural fire departments used the bells of nearby churches before sirens became more popular. One I'd read about used to bang on a locomotive brake shoe hanging from a tree for a fire signal. Pendleton, Oregon, once had a network of several bronze bells on poles connected to a box system. One surviving bell was turned into the base of a flagpole which sits in front of one station today.

Last bell in my area, that was used for summoning volunteer firefighters, was in 1993. It actually was a church bell, in a steeple, in the middle of the city. It has been replaced with a Federal Model 2, that has blown to warn of several tornadoes, particularly two that hit that city.

Idaho Falls, ID replaced their fire bell with a siren in 1934, but Spencer, ID still has a bell standing. The frame looked fairly new when I visited, so I'm not really sure what's going on. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w0nt9q812bef ... Ho0Ha?dl=0

Shaniko, Oregon, has a bell tower next to the fire station and a sign warning tourists that the bell is for fire warning and not to pull the rope.