Dear Monsey Scoop,
Can someone explain why in 2025, the Tallman Fire Department still blasts a loud alarm bell across the neighborhood every time there’s a call?
Night after night, hundreds of families in Airmont and nearby areas are being jolted awake by this piercing sound. Kids are crying, parents are frustrated, and the entire neighborhood is losing sleep—all because of a system that’s long outdated.
Every firefighter today has a radio, phone, or pager—there are plenty of better, quieter ways to notify them. This bell serves no real purpose anymore. When I asked the commissioner why it continues, the answer I got was: “It’s the law.” And yet, the Monsey Fire Department doesn’t use a bell—are they breaking the law, or is that just an excuse?
Let’s be real: the only reason this bell still rings is because “it’s been this way for a hundred years.” But that’s not a valid reason to keep waking entire communities. Tradition is not a license to disrupt lives.
It’s time for Tallman Fire Department to modernize—and let our neighborhoods sleep in peace.
Sincerely,
A Sleepless Airmont Resident
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of Monsey Scoop. Have an opinion you’d like to share? Send it to us for review at monseyscoop@gmail.com.
People need to be educated about how volunteer fire departments operate in NYS and across the USA and the rules & regulations.
In short – the siren, better known as the whistle, is more reliable than any radio or phone, also alerts the community that vol FF are responding and should be prepared to move out of the way for responders and in many cases, reduces the cost of insurance for the FD and the homeowners in the particular fire district because the FD has an active whistle. This savings is thru the ISO (Insurance Services Organization) that is the standard rating agency for every FD, paid or volunteer) across the USA.
For more info, you can google.
https://www.google.com/search?q=why+do+volunteer+fire+departments+have+sirens+law+iso%C2%A0&client=safari&sca_esv=f1fd8b690de436c8&hl=en-us&sxsrf=AE3TifPIOllwUDWZUtBOKoJK6quSq8yFKg%3A1751819905312&ei=gaZqaNTeEs6liLMPkYWlyQU&oq=why+do+volunteer+fire+departments+have+sirens+law+iso%C2%A0&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIjd3aHkgZG8gdm9sdW50ZWVyIGZpcmUgZGVwYXJ0bWVudHMgaGF2ZSBzaXJlbnMgbGF3IGlzb8KgMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCMggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogRI_SBQ-QhYyx1wAngBkAEAmAFpoAGBBKoBAzEuNLgBA8gBAPgBAZgCB6ACsATCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIFEAAY7wWYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMyLjWgB68nsgcDMC41uAehBMIHBzAuMS41LjHIByk&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
There is no excuse these days for the fire bell to go off in the middle of the night
Most of the departments in the areas around
Is off at night. accept for a structure fire
And it’s understandable
Monsey Fire dept has the fastest response in rockland county and their bell this completely off these days
For the same reason that there are fireworks going off all summer long at the Lev center on Viola road at all hours of the night. For the same reason that there are taxi’s and cars beeping their horns in front of Scheiners at 2am. The difference between these situations is that Tallman Fire house was there before you moved in and you moved there knowing this. In the other two items, they came in after.
100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress. There is no law that requires this, that answer is either an uneducated response or an intensional lie. ISO ratings have many factors and the whistle is only one component. Tallman fails miserably at response times and has an enormous manpower issue and that’s where their ISO ratings will fall. NFPA codes are standards, not laws. People need to learn the difference. Monsey FD understood this many years ago and got rid of their horn and focused on response time, training, equipment and grew their personnel roster to the biggest and best in the county. Many county departments look up to Monsey FD and have implemented similar policies amd procedures to improve their own departments because they see how well it works. It’s time for the Tallman Fire District to move along with the times or get left behind. The people of Airmont should dissolve the Tallman FD and have Monsey FD take over.
Since you can’t sleep airmont residents, you might as well join the Tallman Volunteer Fire Department so you can help these volunteers respond to all of your fellow residents calls for assistance. Better yet, let’s raise taxes and pay the firefighters a commensurate salary with Ramapo PD. Paid fire departments do not a siren and will have even faster response times than the Monsey Volunteer Fire Department. On second thought, too many non-tax paying people in Airmont. That won’t work. Ear plugs are probably cheaper and you can probably scam them from the town or county like most other things.
This is a nasty response, no excuse.
100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress. There is no law that requires this, that answer is either an uneducated response or an intensional lie. ISO ratings have many factors and the whistle is only one component. Tallman fails miserably at response times and has an enormous manpower issue and that’s where their ISO ratings will fall. NFPA codes are standards, not laws. People need to learn the difference. Monsey FD understood this many years ago and got rid of their horn and focused on response time, training, equipment and grew their personnel roster to the biggest and best in the county. Many county departments look up to Monsey FD and have implemented similar policies amd procedures to improve their own departments because they see how well it works. It’s time for the Tallman Fire District to move along with the times or get left behind. The people of Airmont should dissolve the Tallman FD and have Monsey FD take over.
I read on this site recently that a petition is being circulated to dissolve the Village of Spring Valley. If a petition can be that effective, why not one to discontinue the sounding of this alarm, at least during the normal hours when people sleep?