The FDNY might need a new sound for its sirens if a new piece of city legislation is passed.
The proposal, which was introduced by two New York City Council members earlier this month, would require sirens on pieces of fire apparatus, as well as ambulances and police cars, to emit alternating high and low sounds similar to European emergency vehicles, NPR reports. The change would need to happen within two years of the bill's passage.
"Noise pollution is an often unrecognized but very real public health issue. Since my first year in office I have received complaints from constituents about the impact of wailing sirens, especially from ambulances, across my district," Council member Helen Rosenthal, a co-sponsor of the bill, told NPR in an email.
A pilot program at Mount Hospital tried out the new sirens, and Rosenthal said local complaints dropped. So far, no hearing has been set to hear the bill, according to NPR.
