LITTLE ROCK, AR - Little Rock police and firefighters have installed a new emergency siren to alert motorists to the clear the way faster and increase emergency response time, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The new Whelen Engineering Howler siren emits a lower, denser tone reminiscent of 1980s hip-hop. Vibrations from the lower tones project along the ground and into the structures of vehicles, getting the drivers' attention to help clear the road for city vehicles barreling toward emergencies.
Little Rock has spent $600,000 so far installing the device on four Fire Department battalion chief vehicles and 34 police cars, with plans to install hundreds more.
The Fire Department has tested the Howler on the road for the past three months.
Each Howler costs about $400 and is paid out of the city fleet budget, according to the Gazette. The $400 covers the cost of the device, labor costs, and mounting brackets customized to each type of vehicle and a few other modifications, said Brock Vest, Little Rock's fleet acquisitions coordinator.
The 34 cars with new sirens will be put into the existing rotation the department uses to introduce new cars into its fleet, reported the Gazette.
