Tooter Toots Two Toots Too Many-November 10, 1970

Norwood Town Curfew Whistle Malfunctions, Blasting Extra ‘Toots’ and Prompting Resident Inquiries

Townspeople relaxing at home last night were treated to an unexpected acoustic serenade when the municipal fire whistle suffered a mechanical malfunction during its nightly routine.

Designed to sound automatically at 9:45 p.m. to mark the curfew signal for youths 16 years of age and under—while simultaneously serving as a routine operational test for the equipment—the system completely flunked its rehearsal. Instead of the customary three measured blasts, the whistle let loose with five distinct toots.

The extra noise immediately jammed local telephone lines as concerned residents dialed the fire department to ask what was going on. Firefighters patiently explained that the erratic siren was simply “on the blink,” though staff were initially unsure whether the crisp autumn cold weather had played a role in the mechanism’s sudden misfire.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger