Canadian Line Materials LTD. (CLM) was a Canadian siren manufacturing company which built

civil defense sirens A civil defense siren, also known as an air-raid siren or tornado siren, is a siren used to provide an emergency population warning to the general population of approaching danger. It is sometimes sounded again to indicate the danger has pas ...

. These sirens were built and installed all over Canada to warn residents and military about incoming nuclear attacks from the USSR during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. Though most CLM sirens are now decommissioned or removed, few are owned privately, with rumors about one being refurbished and put back in service in Dashwood, Ontario.

History

Canadian Line Materials was a Canadian electrical manufacturing company which began business in 1957 as a division from McGraw-Edison in

Scarborough, Toronto Scarborough (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census 629,941) is a district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated atop the Scarborough Bluffs in the eastern part of the city. Its borders are Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue ( ...

and built electrical equipment such as lightning arresters. Shortly after they began business during the

, the Canadian government contacted CLM asking if they could make

to warn civilians and military about incoming Soviet nuclear attacks that were confirmed by

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

. CLM accepted and began production of their sirens, installing over 1600+ sirens all over Canada. In 1985, CLM was sold to Cooper Industries, and no longer exists.

Siren models

The CLM Model 92729DP siren (rotational CLM) is a 10/12 port rotating electromechanical siren. The decibel rating of the model is ~130 decibels. These sirens use Lincoln Electric 5 horsepower induction motors. This model of CLM is the most well-known and recognizable warning siren made by CLM. The CLM Model 92730DP siren (another rotational CLM) is presumably a similar siren to the 92729DP. There is not much info on this particular model. The CLM "Mailbox" siren series. These sirens are omni-directional 10/12 or 20/24 port electromechanical sirens with a design similar to the WW2 Carter siren. They are housed inside of a

mailbox Mailbox may refer to: * Letter box (also known as a letter plate, letter hole, deed or mail slot), a private receptacle for ''incoming'' mail * Post box (also known as a drop box), a public receptacle for ''outgoing'' mail ** Pillar box, a fre ...

-style housing, earning its name. These sirens use unknown Lincoln Electric motors. The decibel rating on these model is unknown, as nobody has done a decibel rating test or nobody has heard one on full power. Most of these have been decommissioned or removed. Known model numbers of these sirens are the 5563, 5263, 5223, and 5261. The CLM omni-directional siren. The model number on this is 92763CP. It is a oddly designed 10/12 port omnidirectional electromechanical siren. The decibel ratings on these sirens are unknown, as nobody has heard one on full power. All of these have been decommissioned or removed.

National distribution of sirens installed

Other Mentions

The

Bluesmobile The Bluesmobile is a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan that was prominently featured in the 1980 Universal Pictures film ''The Blues Brothers''. The car is described as a decommissioned Mount Prospect police car, purchased by Elwood Blues at an auction aft ...

is a 1974 Dodge Monaco from the film ''The Blues Brothers''. The Loudspeaker mounted atop the vehicle as a public warning siren was modelled after a CLM Model 92729DP. This specific model of siren was requested by the co-writer, Dan Aykrod.

References

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External links

Rotational CLM siren soundingVandalized Rotational CLM siren rotatingCLM 20/24 siren with a custom housing soundingAir Raid Sirens - Fallen CLM sirenRotational CLM siren sounding and rotating in distance
Civil defense Emergency population warning systems in Canada Sirens