How about silencing the idiot train horns in the middle of the night?! From way before So. Chester, thru Planz, Across So. "H", across White Lane some idiot engineer does a CONTINUAL blast at 11:30pm.  My understanding was it was to be 2 long and 2 short blasts - prior to an intersection (regardless of whether they have arms, beeps/lights/and whistles) however some nut case literally blasts that horn for miles. Since the weather has cooled, I like to sleep with my windows open - holy cow!!!!! I'm rudely awakened in the middle of the night!  We have lived in this location for 30 years and these trains have become totally obnoxious.  During the day - with doors and windows open for the cool air - I can't even hear my own TV in my own living room!!!

Just because some idiots chose to cross the tracks w/out looking or thinking they could "beat the train" and got smooshed is no reason to torture the rest of us.  What happened to the "quiet zone".

I think, but could be wrong, that the quiet zone was for the trackes downtown mainly for BNSF.  The tracks in the Southwest are now privately owned and operates more as a spur.

I used to live over near South H and Pacheco and I'm familiar with hearing those sirens all the time.  You know what I did? I sucked it up.  It's an emergency vehicle - I think they are justified in blaring that siren any time of day if it'll save a life.

People will complain about anything, won't they?

That horn that goes off is different from the trains in that area. I've driven around at nite trying to locate after it woke me.  It's been going off for years.

The siren answer from Paula Caughron, Emergency Medical Services coordinator for the Kern County Emergency Medical Services Department is B.S. When was the last time you saw a fire truck or ambulance speed? They drive the speed limit. A driver with his windows rolled up and radio on can't hear the siren till they're on you a$$. How bout they only use them when traffic is heavy or running a red lite. Seems logical. Other when the fire dept goes to the grocery store, or to the gym to work out, when was the last time you saw them w/o lites and sirens. Every call is red lites and sirens. Studies have been done timing emergency vehicles traveling across town. Very little time difference between code 3 or not.  

People like this are what's wrong with this community.  Whining and complaining about things that are a part of life in a city.

The reason there's very little difference is because people need to learn how to get the @#%$ out of the way when an emergency vehicle is rolling code 3.  And today's newer cars with sound proofed interiors don't help cause you can't hear the sirens.

Train horn blasting?  I think the tracks were probably there when you moved in, were they not?

Like the idgits that moved in to houses next to Mesa Marin Raceway then complained about the noise....helllooooooo

People are even complaining about the construction noise going on right now on Golden State during the evening.  They have to work during non-peak hours, if they did it during the day, everyone would be complaining about the traffic snarls.  And if they didn't fix it at all then there would be complaints to alleviate the traffic jams.  As it was when Stockdale was getting repaired people complained about that too, but that couldn't be done at night cause there are houses right on Stockdale.

People even complain about street sweepers making noise! But then complain there's too many leaves and trash in the gutters and it'll trap water and breed mosquitoes....oh my...But could you imagine the traffic snarls with slow moving street sweepers out during the day on major thoroughfares?  Or trying to sweep up parking lots during business hours?

Me, me, me, screw everyone else.

AS soon as we ask the emergency vehicles to stop sounding their sirens, is when 10-fold MORE accidents will occur, and the injured will SUE big-time, then the same folks that wanted the sirens silenced will be on the blogs demanding WHY this accident occurred?  lord ...

I live by a fire station, and hear them respond all the time, my thoughts dont go inward for 'poor me' they woke me up, my thoughts immediately go to the poor family that lives have JUST been interrupted or ruined - and needed to call 9 1 1

lzarox : Train horn blasting?  I think the tracks were probably there when you moved in, were they not?

I believe I said we have lived here for 30 years, which would indicate, yes, the tracks were here. HOWEVER, it has only been in the last year that the engineers have begun totally blasting away for miles and miles and miles.  Just as a point, I used to live in an apartment on California Ave right across the street from the train switching house. I slept with my windows open and never heard the booming and banging.  A horn blasting continuously is a whole other bag of bolts.  So yes, it ticks me off because for 29 years they have not done that but when some idiots got crunched by trains because they thought they were smarter they passed an edict that they had to blow the horns prior to EACH intersection.  As mentioned, my understanding was 2 long 2 short blasts but these engineers are literally blasting that horn from way before any intersection thru 4 intersections that happen to be fairly close together.  ALL of those intersections have bells, flashing lights and crossing arms.

SPAM CODE:  B CUZE..................I can

http://www.sfphes.org/publi...

http://www.emergencydispatc...

DogGone is right.....

DogGone is about as wrong as you can get. Having worked in E.M.S. I can tell you that you open up a bad can of worms if you think rolling code through town without sirens is safe. And if you honestly think there is no difference between code 3 and code 2, then I hope you never have a serious emergency that requires a bus to run code, but they take their time and stop at all the lights so they do not have to disturb anyone. What is more, how do you know there isn't a patient in the back they are working, and they have to run code because every second counts? Find something real to complain about like the trains, don't try to blast E.M.S. for doing their jobs.

But I guess the problem is, if you aren't in the back, you want them to be quiet and slow down. But if you are in the back, they can't get there fast enough.

Logansdad; The key phrase is "they have to get there" I seen several crashes that have been caused by ambulances running code and crashes that the ambulance itself was involved in. You have to get there to do any good and if that means slowing down, so be it.... 

http://www.emergencydispatc...

Is this the "horn" people are hearing?

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

PFA:  Nope.  What we get ARE train horns blaring!!!

I too have been wondering if the sirens from the Hall Ambulances could be toned down, I live on a main street used to take people to KMC. The police cars have a different sounding siren, why can't Hall Ambulance retune there sirens to sound like Harps being played by angels. It might help the passenger feel a little more comfortable. 

I have harped on this subject before, even having had an opinion page in TBC awhile back. As far as emergency vehicles..Have you ever noticed how many people simply run stop signs and red lights coming off side streets? I see it a dozen times a day, and it's even more prevalent at night. What about pedestrians? It's not just the big intersections where their lights and sirens are needed. It's everywhere. Should the emergency departments create a new position for someone to only focus on the sirens, etc and traffic in the area? Of course not. I know it sucks sometimes, but were it one of my kids in that ambulance, or my home the fire dept were responding to, I'd wan't them to arrive in one piece in a timely manner. As someone stated..It's just part of modern life.

As for the trains. Contact San Joaquin Valley Railroad and complian about the issue. Note the time and dates involved. There is no pre detrmined way engineers use their horns, but if it is a nuisance, perhaps the Trainmaster for SJVRR can do something.

In finishing, I'll re-state my problem with no whistle zones and any attempt to silence emergency vehicles. They are there for a very specific reason. PUBLIC SAFETY. But, as with coprorations and most individuals, safety is a thing of convenience. But let one schoolbus get hit, one pedestrian be run down, and I promise you, the very same people who were griping about noise will be outraged at the irresponsiblity of the entities involved. I have simply seen it happen too many times.

The modern firetrucks cocoon the passengers, to the amount of noise they create, due new headsets that operate the radio system for dispatching and responding.  Some Engineers  [ FF ] use the sirens from the time they pull out of the station until they either arrive on scene or are turned around.  These types also like to blow the air horn constantly. Personally I hated the air horns and thought they sometimes unnerved some drivers to the point of confusion.  I liked the sirens at intersections and only used the air horn if someone was not moving to the right.  Code three is faster but not by a huge amount.  All emergency vehicles should stop or be able to stop when they come to an intersection.  Just my opinion.  Two blocks from a hospital were no no's so I think night responding should also dictate how much siren and horn operation is really necessary.

When I lived in an apartment near a common route used by Hall and I got sick of the sirens, I moved. When I bought a house, I made sure it was near no major streets, train tracks, etc. Some noise is needed for safety, particularly for ambulances.

The fire truck/police/ambulance sirens do not bother me - they are enroute to save/arrest/water down (fire) someone. THEY can blast all they want!  I agree with Moto - if it my house or my loved one needing any of their services I want them here in a heart beat.  I'm not even bothered by the "bear in the air" and I live in an area where they are frequent!!

For S/H  Be happy you are safe as well your family when you hear them. Some Love one did not make it home

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!  Have a couple of hot toddies and sleep well knowing you're safe.  As for the 11:30 whistle, have another toddy.

 1 ounces Whiskey
     1 ounce Honey
      ounce Lemon Juice
     3 ounces Water (Hot)
 

maybelline; AA has a hot-line.

Stephen Humphreys

DogGone

SteveMcqueen187

You gentlemen, are idiots.

A lot of other people have already tongue lashed you, so I'll leave it at that.

sevenbates; Having driven an emergency vehicle for 20 + years I am probably a little more informed on the subject than you are. How does being an overweight photog give you expertise on this subject? Enlighten me please.....

Thanks Mcqueen.  I too drove an emergency vehicle for years.

RE: SteveMcqueen187 & DogGone

Then both of you have a skewed perspective from your years of service behind the wheel of an emergency vehicle. I wouldn't ask a police officer to write a poem about how our society is law abiding, or inherently good either.

In the same way, I wouldn't expect you to know the first thing about the driving behavior of anyone other than the idiots who get in your way, panic, or who aren't observant of your lights and sirens. In fact, I'd bet on you being dead wrong. The fact that so many of you have this ridiculous notion that lights and sirens cause more accidents than they prevent, is proof of your shared short-sightedness, not expertise. Listen to yourself.. You think an EMS vehicle should drive (at the speed limit my ass, you liar) along on everyday roads and only flip their sirens on at intersections or if there's traffic?

Sirens are loud, so people can hear them around corners too. Yes, some people have their radios up so loud that they can't hear emergency vehicles, but those people are statistics waiting to happen anyway. They'll die because they're distracted drivers, and turning off sirens isn't going to protect them. It will however, endanger the rest of us.

Your weak article by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch is (admittedly) biased, just like yourself, and doesn't lend any "expertise" on the subject. (like yourself) It is written from the perspective of someone who deals with the day to day struggles of an emergency vehicle driver, who is frustrated at people reacting incorrectly to their emergency alert systems. While it's understandable, it's still wrong.

You're arguing to change the system from the wrong end of the problem.

Those who do not heed the lights and sirens of emergency vehicles, do so because they are ignorant and ill-informed about what to do in such situations. This ignorance spreads across all demographic boundaries, and is admittedly rampant. With this in mind, it would be much more prudent to enact a public awareness program that actually attempted to reach drivers when they're listening. I listened in drivers ed class to the brief mention of what to do when an emergency vehicle came up behind you. It stuck with me, as did the rules regarding 4-way stops and right of way.

While I'm speaking from my own perspective regarding my experience with drivers ed, It is well known that driver operation education is at a minimum in our modern, mobile society. The money saved by municipalities not having to shelve out money for wrongful death suits as a results of them letting you EMS drivers have your way, would more than pay for an increase in education on this subject, and other traffic-related issues.

So do not think that your 20+ years of experience behind the wheel amount to jack with me, because your argument is flawed from the beginning.

No one was trying to say eliminate the use of sirens. That would be totally ridiculous. All I was saying was at 3am maybe using it to clear an intersection against against a red would be all thats needed. Ambulances are big heavy vehicles that don't stop or turn very well. Turning the siren on does not eliminate their responsibility to drive at a safe speed. A driver of a car with their radio on above a whisper won't here them until there on top of them. Most Peds look before they cross the street. More likely the only people that really hear the siren are people trying to sleep in their poorly insulated homes. Many of the major intersections have a device that will turn the light green for an ambulance as long as they have their strobe activated. Another problem is the dispatchers not taking time to assess the call correctly and dispatching code response which is not needed.   

 "No one was trying to say eliminate the use of sirens."

No, you weren't. However, the limitation of them is also a mistake. I can't believe anyone would argue that it's a smart idea to leave the decision to either run or not run sirens, up to the driver of an emergency vehicle. A "clear intersection" is a pretty subjective thing, wouldn't you agree? How are we supposed to think that we're safer when we're leaving the decision to hurl thousands of pounds of steel into an intersection, without alerts, based solely on the decision of "some dude" driving an EMS vehicle? I'm not going to base the safety of citizens on the assurance that "most Peds look before they cross a street"

C'mon. I appreciate that your idea was good intentioned - but it's overwhelmingly flawed.

We will agree to disagree but your points are well taken......

One final point. That dude driving the ambulance is trained to make life saving decisions and can also observe the driving conditions first hand. The person making the decision to run code is sitting behind a desk console.... Ok I think we have beat this to death...