On the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a frightening sound filled the early morning air in Oxford ? the chilling scream of an air raid siren.
The siren sounded at approximately 7:45 am.
Seventeen residents phoned the Oxford Village Dispatch Center between 7:47 and 7:51 a.m. to find out what was happening, according to Head Dispatcher Tony VanHouten.
Michael Sturm, administrator for Oakland County’s Emergency Response and Preparedness (ERP) Department, called the incident a ‘false activation.?
He explained that it’s believed an aging yellow Thunderbolt-brand siren in Oxford Township was accidentally tripped by a combination of a malfunctioning radio receiver and something transmitted on a similar radio frequency from an undetermined source.
Installed in 1977, the radio tone-activated Thunderbolt sirens, which offer multiple sound warnings including those for tornadoes, were ‘state of the art? technology in their day and described by Sturm as ‘very reliable work horses.?
But ‘as (the sirens) age they get a little bit off-frequency? and can be triggered by ‘something functioning on a similar radio frequency,? explained Emergency Management Coordinator Tracey McGee.
The malfunctioning radio receivers inside the Thunderbolts begin to ‘hear things they shouldn’t hear? and that can cause their activation, she said.
Given the age of the sirens? technology, it’s nothing out of the ordinary, McGee said, adding that the mechanical make-up of the Thunderbolt ‘looks like the inside of an old tube television.?
Oxford Township is currently served by six Thunderbolt sirens, McGee said, but she’s not sure if the Sept. 11 false activation occurred at the one located on E. Drahner, just west of Crossroads for Youth, or the siren at Chrico and W. Drahner.
McGee said she’s received conflicting reports about which siren went off last week. Residents reported it was the E. Drahner siren, while Oxford Fire Chief Jack LeRoy claimed it was the W. Drahner one.
The Sept. 11 false activation was the third one over the last month.
Despite the infamous date, callers to Oxford dispatch on Sept. 11 were not alarmed by the siren, they were ‘irritated that it keeps going off,? VanHouten said. ‘Nobody thought we were under attack or anything.?
The first false activation occurred on Aug. 21 and the second was on Aug. 28. Both were at the E. Drahner siren.
‘The first time we thought it was a fluke, but we started watching it,? McGee said.
McGee said no one is sure what the transmission source of the false activations is, but it could be anything including the proliferation of cellular phones, helicopters flying overhead utilizing similar radio frequencies, EMS radio traffic from Ohio reaching this area under the right weather conditions or radio tones used by Detroit Edison.
However, trying to determine the transmission source is not only useless, it’s ‘like finding a needle in a hay stack,? McGee said, adding it’s ‘easier? to just replace the malfunctioning radio receivers, which are the main cause of the false activations.
The malfunctioning receiver in the E. Drahner siren was replaced Thursday with a ‘rebuilt? one, McGee said. The W. Drahner receiver was replaced Tuesday.
Obtaining new receivers isn’t possible, given they ‘haven’t made parts (for the Thunderbolt siren) since the early 1990s,? she said.
Sturm noted in the Thunderbolts? 26 years of service, ‘there’s never been a false activation of the air raid siren? until recently.
He said a ‘handful, four or five? of other Thunderbolt sirens elsewhere in the county have experienced false activations within the last 30 days and had their aging radio receivers replaced.
These other false activations occurred in Highland Township, Royal Oak, South Lyon and Huntington Woods, McGee said.
McGee noted that in the Thunderbolts? three-decade history, they’ve been used ?100 percent? of the time for weather-related warnings and emergencies. The air raid tones have thankfully ‘never? had to be used, she said.
Of the 217 sirens in Oakland County, 63 old Thunderbolts are left in operation.
In 2000, the county began a seven-year program to replace the yellow dinosaurs with high-tech sirens activated by digital tones sent via computer or radio, McGee said.
To date, 69 Thunderbolt sirens have been replaced at a cost of $18,000 each, she noted.
McGee said Oxford Township’s six Thunderbolt sirens are scheduled to be replaced in November or December.
Sturm said ERP ‘appreciates? the information residents phoned in about the malfunctioning siren.
‘It helps us identify the siren and correct the problem,? he said.
Residents are asked to report siren malfunctions by calling (258) 858-5300.