Genuine Three Mile Island Warning Siren - ACA Penetrator 10

This is a video of an actual siren to warn residents around the famous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant of an impending problem or disaster. Three Mile Island has the distinction of being the only nuclear power plant in the United States to have experienced a meltdown.
This particular siren is an ACA Penetrator 10, an older siren that is out of production and replaced by the ASC Tempest series. This York county siren is in Lewisberry on Big Spring Road. In the video, I incorrectly say it's on Marsh Run Road, which is where the P-10 I recorded two years ago is. The original siren system was installed in the early 1980s, and consisted of ACA P-10s and Cyclones. Today, the updated siren system is including Federal Signal 2001s to replace defective sirens or fill in gaps. The P-10 is the smallest siren in the Penetrator line, the largest being the famous P-50.
I apologize for the jittery shakes and wind noise, however, I had to jump through hoops to get a camera that can record video and sound, so I did the best I could with what I had. Standing in front of this P-10 while it was alive was like being on the front seat of a rollercoaster. Although you can't hear it in the video, at one point, I said "I can actually feel the sidewalk vibrating!"

[@xz9533]

SHOULDVE REMEMBERED TO TURN THE VOLUME DOWN HOLY FUCK I THINK THAT WAS LOUDER THAN THE SIREN ITSELF!! I HAD THE VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP MY EARS ARE RINGING HOLY SHIT!!!

[@Astro_Guy_1]

no...in actual the siren would have made your whole ear channel explode without protection

[@Calling321]

That is so loud its vibrating! That is one loud son of a bitch!

[@marcieswadener6011]

Collin Bru it is loud be cauce people cant here pk

[@papilot312]

Believe me, I live within the 10-mile radius of Three Mile Island, and you KNOW when these babies go off. I can hear at least three separate ones from my house. The closest one to me is like a mile away.

[@TheSonic1685]

3:36 "I can actually feel the sidewalk vibrating." Then the siren obviously isn't loud enough.

[@Zapruderfilm1963]

I live 10 miles from Three Mile Island near Elizabethtown, There is the exact Three Mile Island issued siren approx half a mile from my door, It is tested at least once a month. It's loud as hell and is the exact tone of this one. Very eerie and disturbing. Julia

[@RussianOrphan1]

This was the 1st siren video I ever saw! I found it in 2009 and have been hooked on sirens ever since!

[@mtgau2000]

UPDATE: 3 Mile Island was decommissioned, so both this siren and the T128 this replaced are gone.

[@blackmaxima]

The pattern seems to be this: Every third Thursday in June, they run the annual 3-minute test of all the sirens for TMI. It's usually announced on the news a day or two beforehand. Every other month, the first thursday of each month at 8:00 AM, a very quick test is done where the siren will only hum for a second or two. It's extremely easy to miss and not worth trying to catch. The replacement sirens so far have been Federal Signal 2001s with one exception, some sort of ACA siren.

[@PGMEagle]

I have noticed that Beaver county is putting more and more 2001s in and removing Allertors

[@stauffer301]

Thanks for the video to bad you were not able to cut it to the good parts thanks for the video!

[@RobertPaniagua]

We actually had one in Germantown, Montgomery County, Maryland back in the late 1980s (outside of Washington, DC near the Germantown Elementary School) and it was the same thning as this one, it would be tested every Wednesday at 12 noon but for only 30 seconds since school was in session and it would scare the shut out of me. I had to cover my ears, it was also an ACA P10 like this one.

[@stauffer301]

@Typhoon10UK they run sheduled testing to see if the siren works to inform the residents of middletown pa when or if a possbile hazord at the power plant. they do monthly testing now it is required they run these tests . The siren is only used when a emergency happends.Just like the emgerency board cast the siren is run so the siren is tested if their is a problem with the testing some one from the power plant comes out to inspect it and repair it.It is to inform the residents of the area.

[@thunderaarcanis98]

sadly all of the old system was replaced with T-128's and they are inactive due to three mile island being shut down

[@blackmaxima]

Yep! Just a few miles west of me. This is right near Rt. 177 which takes you by Roundtop.

[@MisterTwister55]

I am willing to bet that you hear the cyclone on TMI in the beginning of this video. I just looked up this location and found the siren using "birdseye". it is about 1.5 to 2.5 miles away from TMI and that would be the closest dauphin county siren.

[@carexpertandy]

It's still there I'm pretty sure. What he meant is that the ACA Penetrator/ASC RM-Series is no longer being made American Signal. The Tempest 128 sirens replaced them.

[@PGMEagle]

Makes me wonder then how Beaver Valley get's away with rarely testing there sirens when the NRC requires them to do it at least once a year

[@MisterTwister55]

I forgot to come over here a week ago but the TMI sirens will be tested tomorrow at 12:15!

[@TspesVladD]

Very cool siren. It seems like the dual-toned ones are rare.

[@BRISTOLFORCE2009]

More the opposite

[@MisterTwister55]

On Sunday March 29, there was a tornado warning here in a local county. The TMI/Tornado Warning sirens went off. I am wondering if I heard this type of the cyclops'. Anybody know which ones went off or if both of them went off? The tornado warning was for York co but I was outside in Dauphin co.

[@Haruki_Aikawa]

WOW! that start up sent shivers down my back

[@TheChromeCatastrophe]

a nuke siren went off just a couple of months back in wirral. (its by liverpool, just over the water) something went wrong at the refinery in eastham. i could hear it form wallasey, where i live.

[@cyanspeaker]

That would make a great alarm clock especially if there wasn't a snooze button!

[@hen7713]

The Allertor also sounded like an SD-10 this sounds like an Allertor because this is an Allertor accept in a different housing.

[@PerlitaHabanera]

I can't remember the last time I heard the siren. I just to hear everyday at 12pm.

[@maensilverrmonsters]

that must have been scary o. o

[@MisterTwister55]

I agree with you that Dauphin co always starts theirs up first, so that was probably one in Dauphin.

[@ecates7676]

Don't skip too far with headphones on your ears. I nearly experienced my own meltdown in my nylon drawers.

[@mouerpower2839]

2:11 there we go

[@blackmaxima]

Not electronic, they're driven mechanically via an electric motor. Like the old air-raid sirens. An electronic siren is nothing more than a large speaker with the circuits to produce the tone (called a siren driver).

[@jasongmb]

those things are everywhere in east liverpool

[@olgasasiang997]

P-10 : I am alone

[@ExpiredSkydiver]

A friend of mine told me that a Nuclear power plant (that is shut down now) had alarms that would randomly go off, and the alarm was different than all the other Nuclear pwoerplants because it was a low loud hum that would vibrate the ground, by the way we have a lot of these by over where I live, and one time I was driving and they all went off in a test and it almost gave me a heart attack ._.

[@portsy101]

You guys who like sirens so much should check out the Third Movement of Michael Gordon's "Weather". For me, it's everything chilling about these sirens captured, concentrated, and converted to music. Really amazing stuff for a siren enthusiast like me.

[@MisterTwister55]

I made a video of this day, but I was only in my backyard. I will have to upload the video of it soon.

[@The1Sandman]

Even though i'm not the OP, I think I can answer your quesiton. They always warn you when they are going to do a test. They warn you many times many days in advance. -vacation resident of inside the "ring of death" of the formally Maine Yankee

[@PGMEagle]

You can here the relay switch slap :-)

[@CrazyTechReviews]

technically the p-15 was replaced by the rm siren line

[@blackmaxima]

Yeah, they only test annually. That is NOT enough, especially since I can count on one Penetrator failing per test, and Peach Bottom's T-bolts get tested monthly and they're right near us too. Supposedly they do "electronic testing" weekly, but that may as well be meaningless.

[@Aloysius458]

Kinda a cross between a Air blower, power saw and a grinder mixed together.

[@Rockman_Halo]

lol. What do they do, just flip an "Oh SHIT!" switch? Or is it an automated alert?

[@ValhallaBeckons]

I've been in the area for almost 14 years. Make sure to keep a bottle of potassium iodide in your house. (just in case) BTW, there's another test scheduled for Nov 4th.

[@KSE828]

Holy fucking shit...............this has to be the loudest siren on KZbin!!!!!!!

[@BRISTOLFORCE2009]

Nah there are ones of p50’s and Chryslers

[@rnbsteenstar]

The shaking makes for more drama! You're fine.

[@jasongmb]

I live in liverpool, it goes off qute often(one every 3-4 months)

[@blackmaxima]

Yep, pretty much. Apparently, the Allertor sirens had issues with ice accumulation in the upper projector.

[@BigEvan96]

I remember when i was at camp and a siren from a nearby nuclear plant went off. My freinds thought we were being attacked by aliens.

[@applegirl055]

Oh God, The sound of doom.

[@xXNIGHTCRAWLER233Xx]

The sound it makes when it starts up is like a car kind of

[@MisterTwister55]

It's that time of the year again! This thursday at 12:15. I'm going to a p-10 this year.

[@blackmaxima]

The area near me has a few Cyclones, one on Pleasant View Rd near my high school, one off Spanglers Mill Rd, and one in downtown New Cumberland near where I live. Guess it could be any one of them.

[@MisterTwister55]

I'm going to see one of the exact same sirens that is about 10 miles away tomorrow!

[@MrNotorius5500]

that would make one absolute hell of an alarm clock once its finally retired lmfao

[@chrismarshva]

Reminds me of the telephone directory "Area Nuclear Evacuation Plan" for people living in the blue circled area around Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. Whew, Waldorf is not even on the map....

[@TankCrusher210]

it sounds exactly like an allertor. is it just the same chopper but with a different projector?

[@rural5876]

Yep. Same thing with the screamer s10, and dual tone banshees

[@PGMEagle]

I live close to TMI and yes it was broadcast on the news when the testing day and time was

[@jorris1983]

dont see a year in the discription either

[@blackmaxima]

Ohh, was this in Etters, the Cyclone along Potts Hill Road? Yes, I was out that night and was part of that.

[@rascalpup5237]

I know this is about the siren and such, however I would like to point out that three mile island was NOT the only plant to experience a meltdown on US soil, it isn't even the first plant. The SL-1 plant, located west of Idaho Falls, Idaho, experienced a meltdown and explosion which resulted in 3 deaths in the early 1960's. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL-1 In 1959, A sodium reactor experiment at the Santa Susana Field Lab in California ended after power excursion overheated the core and caused 1/3 of the reactors fuel to melt. This resulted in a radiation release up to 260 times that of Three Mile Island. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Susana_Field_Laboratory Since 1959, 6 meltdowns or partial meltdowns occurred on US soil, in-fact Three Mile Island was the last meltdown incident to take place on US soil. This is because of technological advances in nuclear safety and engineering practices. Believe it or not, newer plants would be much safer than the current older units currently in operation. Unfortunately many people fear the risks due to the incidents that occurred at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.

[@RainJetSprinklers]

Siren starts at 2:10.

[@PGMEagle]

Well the original P-50

[@aquariuslady777]

Moved to Harrisburg in Aug (from IL)...drove by TMI for the first time today...it was kinda eerie...think I'd run for the hills if the sirens went off.

[@danieljones146]

In my City, The sirens are mostly Fedral Signal 2001's.

[@blackmaxima]

Correct, this individual siren is still in place and active (when it needs to be).

[@alyssaboyerr]

Sounds like a aca accelerator

[@Fifthcell]

Allertor?

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

damn wtf? is the camera shaking from the sound?

[@dylxnchn]

is that a T-128?¿

[@blackmaxima]

ACA Penetrator 10

[@StormFlareRecords]

blackmaxima That wind down is epic good vid!

[@xxxrollingrockxxx2]

I live in lowell ma, we have about 5 of these for the seabrook nucluar power plant since we're only about 30 miles aways, I think we have whelens i dont know what model

[@hlynurelli]

LOL try standing right in front of a P-50. Be at LEAST 100 yards away and it's still loud as crap.

[@Fifthcell]

They don't call it the loudest siren ever produced for nothing

[@MrGSX1391]

i remember hearing this thing as a child when the reactor almost went up

[@rural5876]

These weren't installed yet by the time that happened. These were put up in the early 80's

[@kidsruledude]

@mantradirect The sirens are remotely activated by someone at the county's EMA. They could be activated individually, or all at once.

[@sentrysiren01]

aca's sound like sentrys

[@samgower]

omg i didnt realise how loud they actually are...

[@swudeft]

three miles island always remmebers me of bam magera LOL

[@clownboy-xk9br]

Abdul Halimbo y

[@MaryStewart]

i've seen a siren like this near my apartment! and there's an allertor nearby too.

[@triangleshapedcheese]

dude you could of editied out the start, i watched over 1.30 and nothing happens

[@nov2529]

no, york pennsylvania

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

Why the hell was this on??

[@hooviedoovie5220]

it's a test to see if they still work in the event of an actual emergency

[@neosho53059]

Do they still have the t-121 to fill in the gaps of the t-128s?

[@blackmaxima]

There is/was only ever one T-121 that o remember seeing, in Strinestown right off I-83, near an old Cyclone that presumably failed, and I think it's even gone now for a T-128.

[@neosho53059]

+blackmaxima they could have kept the t-121s or mix em in with the gaps

[@Alwaysdoinit112]

@@blackmaxima no they got the cyclone back on. nearby FD uses it.

[@0verload]

that siren sounds great. sounds insanely loud lol

[@Haruki_Aikawa]

IT DOES....weird

[@ProfessorIgor]

grab your kids !! grab your shit !! and get the hell out of the area !!!!!!! THAT MF-er is awesome !!

[@mouerpower2839]

1:53 still waiting

[@krispyjc]

dear christ thats loud

[@federalsignal3t22tornadosi5]

You can hear A cyclone

[@jeydonwaleshot15]

thats loud O.O

[@blackmaxima]

Do you mean a newer T-135 or an original P-50? I'd say that a Cyclone would blow a newer T-135 out of the water. haha

[@BRISTOLFORCE2009]

Exactly

[@jorris1983]

im not angry, the first comment was a joke, thats the lame sense of humor you when stoned. im very sorry people, lets just live together in peace. i promise i wont go on youtube when under influence anymore. have a nice day.

[@PGMEagle]

I am so going to post a siren this june on KZbin if it kills me lol

[@jorris1983]

wtf man? you knew this disaster was comin or this isnt actual footage from 1979?

[@shannondelaney3298]

dam thats loud

[@pwnzyurfacesin32]

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THAT SCARED ME

[@Droideka133]

P-50 right?

[@gregbell8638]

No. It’s a P-10

[@Chernabog135]

O M F G ! ! ! ! I HAVE SEEN SOO MANY OF THOSE WHERE I LIVE...and THAT'S MIDDLE TOWN XD I LIVE SOO CLOSE TO THAT PLANT XD

[@HoustonBeMyCity]

ENOUGH ALREADY, I'M TRYING TO SLEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[@phineaseandferb76542]

2:10- This Siren is Loud

[@sguitarplaya07]

ha not THIS is an awesome alarm clock!

[@williebenford7921]

I got one it my school

[@PGMEagle]

Too bad TMI never had any T-135s :-)

[@iluvincitingviolence]

Wow...maybe you should actually read the info...