Traditional Uses
Sirens have now been around for over a hundred years and yet they are still being used in the same way in some cases because of traditions. The kinds of traditions can vary from town to town and sirens siren however these are some of the most common that still exist to this day, with some of them being easy to find in you are.
Daily Noon/Afternoon Test
Many NJ towns such as Prospect Park, Jefferson, Bloomingdale, or Livingston still use a noon or evening blast. This means that the siren has a singular blast that goes off once a day as a test. This normally happens at noon or in the evening at around 5:00 p.m. typically. Jefferson for example does a noon blast every day (failures can happen.) A town like on the other hand Livingston does an evening blast at 6:00 p.m. every day except Sundays. Below is a video by CD Sirens NJ of a Fedelcode Model 5 in Bloomingdale sounding for the evening blast.
Also below is a video by CD Sirens NJ of Prospect Park's Federal Signal Model 2 sounding for a noon test
Sound Off Requests
A sound off request is when a person asks if a siren can be set off at a certain time. This is typically only for people who would like to film the siren or hear the siren if the siren does not test. The tradition mainly comes from historians and enthusiasts across New Jersey asking specifically fire departments to shut off their Sirens because they would like to film them. You can still (within the parameters of being nice) ask them to set off their siren. It should be noted that they are not required to say yes under any circumstances. Do not take it personally if they say no. However if they say yes it is an extremely lucky thing because many people will say no. It should also be noted not to bombard a organization with requests because they will start saying no.
Event Sirens
Event sirens are a traditional kind of sirens around New Jersey that are used for setting off an event. Sirens like this are typically used to set off things like parades or memorials. It should be noted that proper respect should be given to the event if it is a memorial. (It should also be noted to not film a Last Call. It is in bad taste to do so, unless you have been asked to.)
Below is a video of the Memorial Day Sentry 5V siren sound off in Parsippany, NJ (All proper respects were given)
Below is also a video by CD Sirens NJ of a Federal Signal Model 2 in Kinnelon, NJ for a fundraser event sound off