Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
**Originally recorded on 4/25/2025**
I had originally planned to take a trip to record the newer 14V-B in Good Hope that is painted in the "Sterling Fire House" colors. However, shortly as I was arriving into WCH following the 2.5 hour drive, I found out that Fayette County was not testing the county sirens (which includes the 14V-B) due to forecasted rain and thunderstorms expected later into the day.
However, the City of Washington Court House operates a separate system, and this was its first test using its new Storm Sentry command and control software. As part of this update, all sirens in the city were updated from the CD&F controllers they previously utilized to newer Sentry Gen 3 SiraTrol-based controllers and monthly tests and warning activations are now automated. The city's new system also can allow for the other Sentry's in the county to be added to it in the future, giving some of the townships the option to migrate over to the city system in the future, which is two-way.
As a result, WCH no longer does the back to back 2 minute alert blasts repeated four times, and now does a three minute "attack" signal, as they would during an actual warning. The test function also tests the backup batteries in the sirens, which you can hear it switch over from AC power to the backup batteries around 1:12 in the video.
The couthouse Model 7 sadly burned up during a tornado warning on April 1st, and was replaced by a new product called the Sentry Macroburst, which is essentially two 8 port Sentry F-2's stacked on top of each other and oriented vertically. While not nearly as loud as the old siren, it will still allow for siren coverage in the general downtown area.
The Macroburst was one of the targets I had considered, but not knowing how loud it was and not wanting to risk the audio being compromised by road noise, I opted to return to the Fairgrounds 7V8-B off US-22 which I previously recorded in May of 2021. Enjoy!!
The sirens operated outside of the City of WCH test on the last Friday of every month at noon. Sirens on the WCH city system inside the city of WCH are tested automatically on the 4th Friday of every month at noon. Depending on the month, these dates and times may overlap.
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Camera(s) Used: Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 (video and audio)
© Copyright 2016-2025 by SF57. This video and its contents are the property of SF57. No part may be reproduced, in whole or part, without the specific written permission of SF57. Failure to obtain permission will result in a copyright strike.
**Originally recorded on 4/25/2025**
I had originally planned to take a trip to record the newer 14V-B in Good Hope that is painted in the "Sterling Fire House" colors. However, shortly as I was arriving into WCH following the 2.5 hour drive, I found out that Fayette County was not testing the county sirens (which includes the 14V-B) due to forecasted rain and thunderstorms expected later into the day.
However, the City of Washington Court House operates a separate system, and this was its first test using its new Storm Sentry command and control software. As part of this update, all sirens in the city were updated from the CD&F controllers they previously utilized to newer Sentry Gen 3 SiraTrol-based controllers and monthly tests and warning activations are now automated. The city's new system also can allow for the other Sentry's in the county to be added to it in the future, giving some of the townships the option to migrate over to the city system in the future, which is two-way.
As a result, WCH no longer does the back to back 2 minute alert blasts repeated four times, and now does a three minute "attack" signal, as they would during an actual warning. The test function also tests the backup batteries in the sirens, which you can hear it switch over from AC power to the backup batteries around 1:12 in the video.
The couthouse Model 7 sadly burned up during a tornado warning on April 1st, and was replaced by a new product called the Sentry Macroburst, which is essentially two 8 port Sentry F-2's stacked on top of each other and oriented vertically. While not nearly as loud as the old siren, it will still allow for siren coverage in the general downtown area.
The Macroburst was one of the targets I had considered, but not knowing how loud it was and not wanting to risk the audio being compromised by road noise, I opted to return to the Fairgrounds 7V8-B off US-22 which I previously recorded in May of 2021. Enjoy!!
The sirens operated outside of the City of WCH test on the last Friday of every month at noon. Sirens on the WCH city system inside the city of WCH are tested automatically on the 4th Friday of every month at noon. Depending on the month, these dates and times may overlap.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Camera(s) Used: Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 (video and audio)
© Copyright 2016-2025 by SF57. This video and its contents are the property of SF57. No part may be reproduced, in whole or part, without the specific written permission of SF57. Failure to obtain permission will result in a copyright strike.
