Noon siren slated for repair

RITZVILLE – If you’ve been hearing the “noon whistle” at odd times throughout the day, your ears haven’t been deceiving you.

At last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Fire Chief Joel Bell asked, tongue-in-cheek, “Has anyone missed anything at noon?”

He explained that an initial investigation with the siren indicated problems with the power source.

One evening at about 8 p.m., Bell said he accidentally set off the whistle at City Park and fire station, noting, “The park whistle goes off first, then the fire station siren starts winding up.”

The siren is scheduled to sound every day at noon, as is the case in many small communities around Eastern Washington.

Local residents have contacted both Mayor Linda Kadlec and Bell about the sirens. Bell said an electrician will be on hand to fix the problem soon.

In other developments, local firemen will be using a “training wall” provided by the Washington State Patrol. Among other competencies, the wall will be used to teach proper venting of a roof and safe entry into a burning building, according to Bell.

He also noted that the fireman’s breakfast will be at end of May.