# Siren tones illegal in CA?



## SoCal911 (Mar 4, 2012)

So... What's the verdict? Are piercer, T3, or priority tones allowed? I even have a rig that runs euro tone haha.


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## exodus (Mar 4, 2012)

California Administrative Code, 
Title 13. Motor Vehicles (Refs & Annos), 
Division 2. Department of the California Highway Patrol, 
Chapter 4. Special Equipment, 
Article 8. Sirens



> 13 CCR § 1021
> 
> Cal. Admin. Code tit. 13, § 1021
> 
> ...



That's all there is in the books on siren tones.


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## socalmedic (Mar 4, 2012)

whelen, federal signal, and sound off all have different names for the siren tones. CA legal tones, as mentoned above, may be anything between 90 and 400 cycles per minute and between 100hz and 5,000hz. refer to the owners manual at to which are OK. i know on my ambulance wail, yelp and t3 are legal its a fed-sig. however in the "dual" mode only wail is, yelp and t3 cycle faster than 400 when in dual. 

keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).

this next part is not aimed at anyone in particular. just what i have to say on any thread about a siren.

"and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more. Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."


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## exodus (Mar 4, 2012)

socalmedic said:


> whelen, federal signal, and sound off all have different names for the siren tones. CA legal tones, as mentoned above, may be anything between 90 and 400 cycles per minute and between 100hz and 5,000hz. refer to the owners manual at to which are OK. i know on my ambulance wail, yelp and t3 are legal its a fed-sig.* however in the "dual" mode only wail is, yelp and t3 cycle faster than 400 when in dual. *
> 
> keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).
> 
> ...



As long as they are coming out of two separate drivers (speakers) they are considered two separate sirens, therefore totally legal.


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 4, 2012)

socalmedic said:


> whelen, federal signal, and sound off all have different names for the siren tones. CA legal tones, as mentoned above, may be anything between 90 and 400 cycles per minute and between 100hz and 5,000hz. refer to the owners manual at to which are OK. i know on my ambulance wail, yelp and t3 are legal its a fed-sig. however in the "dual" mode only wail is, yelp and t3 cycle faster than 400 when in dual.
> 
> keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).
> 
> ...



So in response to the last paragraph, I do agree. However, in my experience  the change in the siren is what people notice rather than the siren itself. ie Yelp -> wail -> yelp. I'm not saying go crazy with it because, like you said, it can be very confusing to people and downright obnoxious. Totally anecdotal but if we are behind someone that's failing to yield and we change the siren 8/10 times they figure out what's going on. 

When it comes to air horns our horn is separate from the siren so the siren still cycles when you use the air horn. I'm not the person to lean on the air horn unless I have to. It mostly gets used when I'm opposing traffic coming to an intersection. 

As for your last statement...amen brother. If you don't shut it down a dumb civilian is going to feel like you are pushing them and they are going to pull out into the intersection. If they get hit YOU will be at fault. You "forced" them into the intersection causing the accident.


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## Joe (Mar 4, 2012)

Sorry to bust your bubble but if I want to spam the manual button while cycling air horn and the wind down its my choice Haha. I <3 noise!


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## socalmedic (Mar 4, 2012)

Joe, youll get over your love for noise in a year or so.

Rob, I agree with everything you said. time and a place for everything.


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 4, 2012)

socalmedic said:


> Rob, I agree with everything you said. time and a place for everything.



Great minds think alike my friend.

Also random but if you are approaching a scene and there are already crews on scene working, kill the damn siren before you are right next to the scene unless you absolutely have to chirp it at rubberneckers to get them out of your way. It's inconsiderate to deafen your co-responders with the siren.


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## ffemt8978 (Mar 4, 2012)

NVRob said:


> It's inconsiderate to deafen your co-responders with the siren.



Wouldn't that depend upon how much you like them?


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 4, 2012)

ffemt8978 said:


> Wouldn't that depend upon how much you like them?



I guess. 

I don't care if you don't like me, if you come into a scene I'm working on sirens blazing you will hear about it from me, and most everyone else that I work with.


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## ffemt8978 (Mar 4, 2012)

NVRob said:


> I guess.
> 
> I don't care if you don't like me, if you come into a scene I'm working on sirens blazing you will hear about it from me, and most everyone else that I work with.



What did you say?  I can't hear you over the siren.


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## SoCal911 (Mar 4, 2012)

My Riga have 2 sirens and 4 separate speakers. 1 is a whelen always set on wail (unless on manual) second whelen alternates. And an eq2b we use for a growler/yelp when absolutely needed - ie full arrest or heavy traffic.


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 4, 2012)

ffemt8978 said:


> What did you say?  I can't hear you over the siren.



:rofl:

Win.


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## JPINFV (Mar 4, 2012)

socalmedic said:


> keep in mind though that in CA a siren does not always need to be active. "use of a siren or other audible warning device when reasonably NESSISSARY" VC 21055(b).



There's really two parts.

A siren is only required "when reasonably necessary" in order to gain the exemptions granted by that section (e.g. speed limits, red lights, driving on the right side of the road, etc).

A siren IS required in order to require other vehicles to yield the right of way and pull to the right per CVC 21806. 



> "and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more.


Personally, I had good, if limited, success with just using yelp to get cars to yield on straight aways and letting the siren sit on wail at intersections. Of course I also plan ahead and generally didn't get stuck behind other cars. 

It's not illegal to pass on the right.

It's also not illegal to move to the left side of the road.

Those two things are often forgotten by the people who go tone/horn happy. 





> Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."



Don't go to Boston, it won't be good for your blood pressure.


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## JPINFV (Mar 4, 2012)

ffemt8978 said:


> Wouldn't that depend upon how much you like them?




Inconsiderate is inconsiderate. The question is, "Do I give a damn that I'm being inconsiderate?" Often that answer is "No."


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## Handsome Robb (Mar 4, 2012)

JPINFV said:


> Inconsiderate is inconsiderate. The question is, "Do I give a damn that I'm being inconsiderate?" Often that answer is "No."



Not exactly doing much good for your or your department's relationships with co-responding agencies though...

Like I said, if you need to use it by all means use it but if there are already emergency vehicles lit up at a scene more often than not you wont need the siren. 

How do you feel about running your siren in a neighborhood in the middle of the night? That's inconsiderate too...


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## JPINFV (Mar 5, 2012)

NVRob said:


> Not exactly doing much good for your or your department's relationships with co-responding agencies though...


Whether I care about being considerate about everyone of my partners is a different question than whether I care about being considerate about the general public. The former was being asked, not the latter.


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## Tigger (Mar 5, 2012)

socalmedic said:


> "and my pet peeve soapbox... pick a siren and stick with it, change from wail to yelp at an intersection if you want to. I am tired of people going ape:censored::censored::censored::censored: crazy with the manual button and switching back and forth, it does nothing but confuse the public more. Air horns are not sirens, if you press the air horn button on your siren it kills the siren momentarily. hitting the air horn once or twice when at the intersection or when directly behind someone who stopped in the left lane is acceptable. hitting the air horn 10 times while approaching the intersection while switching back and forth from wail to yelp just makes you look like an douche, and is embarrassing, you arent saving any time. one last pet peeve, if you come to a red light and you can get through because cars are in front of you, TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND SIREN, wait for the green and then go again."


God I cannot stand it when people use the electronic airhorn as a siren itself either. No one has any idea what's coming when you just keep hitting the button a million times a minute.


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