New York, NY – Gaining momentum with police departments nationwide, including New York is a new kind of siren, one that promises to get the attention of even the most oblivious of motorists.
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Fittingly dubbed The Rumbler, the siren consists of a pair of subwoofers that produce low-frequency tones complementary to the familiar high-pitched wail.
As a traditional siren is heard, the Rumbler is felt. Intended to penetrate solid objects (e.g., closed car windows or the chest cavity of a pedestrian) and overrun ambient noise-makers (car audio systems and iPods), or to physically get the attention of elderly drivers. [wired]
As an “H” member, allow me to put in my 2 cents worth also. I am not a member in Brooklyn, but frequently find myself responding to calls in Boro Park/Flatbush. What perplexes me most is the laid back, apathetic attitude that some of today’s drivers have.
Hey guys, lemme let you in on a secret. The fact that you also (illegally) have l&s in your cars, along with 10 bogus permits to display, does NOT give you the right to ignore or block our response. No, we are not higher than you but we are a legitimate group of devoted and dedicated volunteers who give up EVERYTHONG to save lives every day. There’s more to it than the L&S.
So, please dont tag along 6″ behind us when we finally pass you and PLEASE dont give us an escort to the call. You may not realize it but you are putting us both in danger.
Lastly, to those of you who “need” to understand why a better siren is in order -IT’S FOR YOU TO HEAR US and it’s NOT to be ignored – YOUR FAMILY’S WELL-BEING could be at stake.
So next time, PLEASE dont ignore us and kindly get out of the way.
As a Hatolah member I must say I do not believe that people on 13th Ave will move for us.
Some people just don’t care about moving to the side or going carefully through a light to let an ambulance get to a hospital ASAP.
Some people will always be idiots until it’s their family member and even then we hope for them.
Great! now all these Hatzolah guys could buy new sirens. More toys – WONDERFUL!
January 18, 2008 12:42 PM
FIRSTLY, you’re a fool for even posting a comment like this. As a Hotzoloh member, I would only like to add that your type is the very reason why this “speaker” (not siren) was designed.
Now a bit about the technicalitoes of the RUMBLER.
It penetrates the sound bariers that todays auto manufacturers have so effectively marketed with “comfort and liesure” in mind. However, since those sound proof vehicles also effectively block the noise a conventional siren produces, emergency vehicles have a difficult time getting thru traffic and getting to YOUR family member’s emergency. Also, with more and more people wearing headphones and earpieces for music and phone use, it is not uncommon to pull up to an intersection and literally be 5 feet away from a pedestrian before they notice you.
So B4 you go knocking a vital life saving device, whether siren or defibrilator, think about why it was designed.
Then again, maybe you simply dont care.
Good luck to you anyway, may we never meet by accident.
I wonder, (as a Hatzoloh member), if they have studied the effects of this siren on epileptics, people with pacemakers or implanted defibs. Killing people to get others out of the way, makes no sense to me.
My humble opinion
Gut Shabbos to all!
this way deaf or preoccupied people will notice.
So now I can’t take my kids outside. The noise is already deafening as it is! Talk about scaring the heck out of people.
oh ##$#% !!! I hope they give out Immodium after we hear these sirens!
Seriously, who knows. This could be a good idea which might work.
Great! now all these Hatzolah guys could buy new sirens. More toys – WONDERFUL!
Seriously, it is a good idea. Emergency vehicles responding to true emergencies deserve the right of way. This may prevent accidents.
The Rumbler does call to mind “brown noise,” a semi-mythical ultra-low-frequency tone purportedly employed as a weapon during World War II (and as a modern-day crowd dispersant) that prompts the listener’s anal sphincter to relax causing him or her to, um, lose control.