Snow and Ice Make Their Mark on Siren

This is a heavy metal siren used on squad cars. It was made by Federal Sign and Signal Corporation of Blue Island, IL.  Model 66G. Serial Number 2026. 12 Volts. With partial cord. It was used alone in the 1960s until 1969. After 1969 until 1972 it was paired with an electronic siren. It was decommissioned in 1973.

In the winter, even though it had a protective hood, it was prone to freezing up. Officers knew that if they turned it on and nothing happened it was ice-packed inside and the passengers side officer would reach out and strike it with a nightstick. The dent in back is caused by officers hitting it with nightsticks to try to get ice out if the siren during freezing weather.

Dent made in siren from attempts to clear it of frozen snow and ice.

Summer or winter, when it was turned on it caused the headlights to dim. The siren was originally mounted on the front fender. Then the sirens were moved to the lighter alongside the central flasher. There was also an electronic siren speaker up there for a while. Once phased out the sirens were put into 55 gallon drums and sent to the scrapyard.