The Siren Board

Most fire stations have an old fire bell, which is usually on display in front of the station. The city of Portland has their 6-ton bell on display in a monument near PGE Park. Some cities still use the bell, as does this McMinnville, Oregon, station. The bell sounds at noon and for fire calls, using a solenoid-actuated striker. Note the Model 2 on the pole in the background. Seaside also has a bell tower, but it is manually rung. Do any other stations still use bells?

Has anyone ever experimented with cut-off welding tanks as bells? They are often sold as wind chimes, but they can get really loud and could make an effective warning signal for a small area. Someday I plan to build a carillon out of them that music can be played on.