Wanted: New place for Irwin fire whistle

Wanted: Home in Irwin for a fire whistle. Must be atop a high building and cause minimal disruption to neighbors when it sounds in the middle of the night.

Irwin officials are trying to figure out what to do with the fire department’s whistle, which is mounted on the roof of the borough building on Main Street. Water is leaking around its base and has permeated borough offices and the police evidence room, said Valerie Morton, borough manager.

Officials estimate it would cost about $7,500 to remove the whistle and seal the holes.

Although the roof is leaking, Chief Justin Mochar told council recently that he did not believe the solution would be to move the whistle to the roof of the fire hall, which is essentially a one-story building.

“Somebody will be annoyed wherever you put it,” Mochar said.

Because of the way the whistle and its metal frame is constructed, it would not be feasible to put it on a utility pole, Mochar said.

The fire chief said he believes it would be costly to move the whistle, possibly between $60,000 and $70,000.

Mochar said he was not certain how the fire siren, which served as the Civil Defense alert system, is activated by the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety.

Roland “Buddy” Mertz, director of the county public safety department, could not be reached for comment.