Westmoreland County community divided over fire whistle some say is disruptive

NEW STANTON, Pa. — A fire whistle might seem like ancient technology when it comes to alerting a community about a fire.

But in New Stanton, residents say that, without the whistle, they’re concerned the fire department isn’t responding to emergencies. Now, the whistle’s repair has sparked a debate.

“The last two months, we’ve responded to 80 plus alarms without a fire whistle,” said New Stanton Volunteer Fire Department President Dave Hauger.

The whistle has been out of commission for a few months now while waiting on parts. But when alerting the public that the whistle would be fixed soon, they received social media messages from people saying they “don’t miss it,” or that it keeps people from sleeping at times.

“When some of our members are without a portable or without a pager and perhaps without their smartphone, and they’re doing yard work, they can hear the whistle blow and respond even if they don’t have all of that modern technology with them,” said Hauger. “So, it’s still a valuable tool.”

Hauger said they hear the community’s concern and may have a compromise.

“We are exploring the possibility of taking it out of service over the overnight hours so everyone can get a good night’s sleep, but then have it in operation during the daytime,” said Hauger.

The department has 25 firefighters and has been in operation for 70 years, along with its whistle. Hauger said the department can adapt to the changes, but the alarm is important.

There is no timeline yet for when the whistle should be fixed. The most recent repair had the alarm working on Monday, but it went out again on Wednesday, and they’re not sure why.

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