Kings Park F.D. to Sound Alarms for Newtown Victims Friday Morning

On the one week anniversary of the Newtown school shooting, vigils and various acts of remembrance for the victims will take place, such as the ringing of church bells, in communities around the nation.

Kings Park Department has chosen to take part in the national commemoration with other local fire departments to sound their sirens 6 times on Friday at 9:45 a.m. 

Second Assistant Chief John Gallo confirmed KPFD would be joining several other departments in the display. Nearby, Commack and Hauppauge will sound their alarms. 

Other departments, however, such as Terryville and Mt. Sinai, have opted out of the commemoration, fearing that the sirens may cause local residents to panic and call 911.

Firefighters say many residents are on edge after the violent attacks and Friday marks the day the Mayans predicted the world would end. And for those who are unaware, the alarms may unnecessarily burden dispatchers and could possibly clog lines in the case of emergencies.

The Suffolk County Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services sent out a memo to all county fire departments on Thursday noting that they could, if they chose to, sound their alarms 26 times on Friday morning at 9:45 in honor of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy and as a way to honor fellow firefighters and EMS personnel.

Joe Williams, the commissioner of Suffolk FRES, said his department is not advocating for the commemoration, but that the memo was sent out on behalf of fire departments that said they wanted to do it. "We're not telling them to do it. We have no authority to tell them do it," Williams said.

"Naturally everybody is concerned," he said that people won't know what the sirens are for exactly. He hoped the departments will spread the word. "I know for a fact that not every department is participating."

Some fire departments, including East Hampton and Sag Harbor, have already opted out of the commemoration, fearing that 26 sirens may cause local residents to panic and call 911. Firefighters say many residents are on edge after the violent attacks and Friday marks the day the Mayans predicted the world would end

Correction: This article previously stated that the alarms would ring 26 times at 9:30, not six at 9:45. We apologize for the errors.