Ribbon Cutting for the Oldest Thunderbolt Siren in the World

Julie Stimson, Director Sedgwick County Emergency Management | 00:00 Ryan Baty, Sedgwick County Commissioner | 3:33 Brent Gambral, Federal Signal | 8:27 Jonathan Marr, Sedgwick County Emergency Management | 9:48 Ribbon Cutting | 26:49 Siren goes off | 28:58 Eric Cale, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum | 36:25 Chance Hayes | Wichita National Weather Service | 41:24 Kenneth Urban (K.U.) Benjamin and Sgt. Paul Hansen were honored at this event for their significant part in severe weather awareness in our county. K.U. Benjamin installed 13 sirens throughout Wichita, four of which are still in service today. His volunteer work changed the way we warn the public of danger, and it is a sound nearly every Wichitan has heard since 1952. On the night of June 10, 1958, Sgt. Paul Hansen made the decision to activate the Thunderbolt Air Raid sirens to warn of a weather event. It is the first time such a thing had happened, at least in Sedgwick County, and we have been doing it ever since. There is no way to quantify the number of lives that may have been saved in the decades that followed. These 70 year old historic outdoor warning devices can be seen at Sedgwick County Fire Station (SCFD) 32, SCFD Station 38, Wichita Fire Station 20 and on a traveling exhibit used by Sedgwick County Emergency Management.