A Rumbler siren is a type of emergency vehicle
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
used primarily in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Developed in 2007 by Federal Signal Corporation, and sounding at a low-frequency level, it is designed to be heard by motorists who may otherwise be unable to hear high-frequency sirens due to ambient noise, such as urban traffic.
Design
The Rumbler produces a pulsating, low-frequency sound between 182 to 400 hertz, and is operated in tandem with a standard, piercing high-frequency siren. The lower frequency sound penetrates hard surfaces like glass and doors more effectively than high-frequency tones. In addition, the siren's low-frequency thumping sound also causes noticeable vibrations to drivers and pedestrians who are near it and helps to generate attention in high-noise environments like "dense, urban traffic". The Rumbler is about 10 decibels quieter than a standard emergency vehicle siren and is generally activated in eight-second bursts by depressing the
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
button in a Rumbler-equipped vehicle.
History
The Rumbler was developed by
Federal Signal Corporation
Federal Signal Corporation is an American manufacturer headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Federal Signal manufactures street sweeper vehicles, public address systems, emergency vehicle equipment, and emergency vehicle lighting.
The comp ...
as an "intersection clearing device". It was initially tested by the
New York Police Department in 2007.
According to Noise Off, a
noise pollution
Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is ma ...
advocacy group, more than 100 U.S. police departments had deployed the siren by 2012, including those of:
Washington, D.C.
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;
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...
;
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
; and
Reading, Pennsylvania. As of 2016, the per-unit cost of the siren was between US$400 and $700 (equivalent to between US$ and $ in ).
In 2015, emergency vehicles in
New South Wales, Australia
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, es ...
were outfitted with Rumbler sirens and, the following year, some ambulances in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
began to be equipped with the Rumbler.
According to Singapore officials, the decision to adopt the Rumbler came after seeing its efficacy in U.S. police vehicles.
Wales Air Ambulance's response vehicles are now equipped with the rumbler siren. This is the second application of such equipment in the UK, having only previously been used by another response doctor charity in Hampshire.
"Rumbler" was a nominee for "People's Choice Award Word of the Year" for 2016 by the ''
Macquarie Dictionary
The ''Macquarie Dictionary'' () is a dictionary of Australian English. It is generally considered by universities and the legal profession to be the authoritative source on Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand ...
''.
New vehicles operated by the Queensland Ambulance Service are fitted with a Rumbler siren.
See also
*
Noise pollution
Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is ma ...
*
The Hum
The Hum is a name often given to widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise audible to many but not all people. Hums have been reported all over the world, including the United States, the Un ...
References
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External links
Long Beach, California police vehicle responding with Rumbler siren (YouTube)Unmarked New York Police Department vehicle responding with Rumbler siren (YouTube)
Law enforcement equipment
Emergency vehicles
Sirens