Kernahan Park - Biersach and Niedermeyer Mobil Directo Air Raid Siren

Air raid sirens were established in the Niagara Region in the 1950s and 1960s to warn against nuclear attacks from the Soviet Union. In 1951, the federal government under Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent commissioned sirens nationwide as part of an early warning system. These sirens were connected to a national grid operated by the Department of National Defence (DND) and tied to the NORAD radar detection system. In 1961 Large-scale national test drills, such as Exercise Tocsin tested the sirens ability to warn the public. Almost all of them have been dismantled by the local hydro commission in the 1980s. This preceded the official nationwide decommissioning by the DND in the mid-1990s, when the program was deemed technically obsolete and costly to maintain. They were taken down and scrapped. But there are a few that remain such as the one in Kernahan Park. Which was recognize in 2013. Because a local student named Justin Nicholls lobbied the St. Catharines Heritage Advisory Committee to recognize the last remaining siren standing in the Niagara region. As a historical artifact. The type of siren it is. Is a Biersach and Neidermeyer Mobil Directo, which is a rotating model. There was also a "drum-style" siren that used to be located on Grapeview Drive but was dismantled and is now part of the St. Catharines Museum collection. There was also a dismantled CLM Siren. Which is a siren made by CLM Industries (Canadian Line Materials) and was removed in the 1980s and donated to the museum in 2002. At the height of the Cold War, St. Catharines had approximately 11 to 12 sirens as part of a 47-siren network across the Niagara Region. Most Canadian sirens, including those in St. Catharines, were manufactured by CLM Industries in Scarborough, Ontario These models were specifically designed for harsh Canadian winters with a "low speed" mode (60-75 RPM) to prevent ice buildup. I have also found a map online that shows where they all used to be. And the type of siren. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1jn_N-ZGDreRxaEsfwIg1X7FA3vfmT-QU&ll=43.17674427494671%2C-79.24325554999999&z=13