Lately, you might have heard a newer sound coming from the storm/fire sirens than you're used to.
This summer (2024), we upgraded several of our siren controllers, and at first, they were programmed a bit differently than the last ones. As a result, the tones and tone lengths you're accustomed to sounded different.
Rest assured, we asked the contractor that replaced the controllers to change the tones back to their original sounds that residents are used to.
Nonetheless, we still wanted to take the opportunity to remind our residents what the siren tones mean.
Moving forward, here's what you can expect from the sirens and what the tones mean:
In the event of a fire department call, the warning sirens will sound for 45 seconds total. Every 5 seconds, the tone will shift from high, to low, to high again for the duration of the signal period.
In the event of a tornado warning, severe weather, or other impending public safety hazard, the warning sirens will sound for 3 minutes straight. During the 3 minute signal period, the siren tone will remain steady.
As a long standing tradition, the City of Franklin sounds a single siren unit in the downtown business district to denote the time of day. We do this at breakfast, lunchtime and dinnertime for a 30 second, steady blast. The siren does not sound on Sundays.
