A Bit of a Difference

Trey Smith

Having lived in a large metropolitan city (Kansas City, MO), a mid-sized city (Salem, OR), a small city (Hot Springs, AR) and a variety of small towns, one big difference between the larger areas and the smaller ones can be found in the frequency of emergency vehicle sirens.

Growing up in KC, it's hard to remember a time in which I didn't hear such sirens at ALL hours of the day and night. In fact, in all of the cities I lived in, sirens are part of the day-to-day experience. In the smaller communities -- like South Bend -- a siren is something out of the ordinary.

Just the other night, I was driving down to our mini mart. In the distance, I saw the flashing lights of a police car moving towards me. As I pulled to the side of the road to provide unimpeded travel to the emergency vehicle -- which I do as a rule even when, like in this instance, there was no other traffic -- I realized that there were only flashing lights, no siren.

Emergency vehicles RARELY employ their sirens around here at night. After 8 or 9 pm, there is very little traffic and so there is no need for the piercing noise. In most cities, particularly the larger ones, there is traffic 24/7 and so the need exists.

This is one of the things I enjoy about living in a tiny Hamlet like South Bend. It's something hard to imagine as a city dweller -- true peace and quiet.