Alderman Reilly is thrilled to provide an update regarding continued efforts to combat excessive siren noise from emergency response vehicles.
Throughout Alderman Reilly's tenure, excessive siren noise has been a major concern for downtown residents. The Alderman researched existing siren noise limitations in other major metropolitan areas that are similar in size and density to the City of Chicago. We found that emergency vehicle siren noise is typically exempted from local noise ordinances.
As such, Alderman Reilly worked with State Representative Christian L. Mitchell to craft and secure approval of House Bill 5632, which states that "an emergency response vehicle shall only operate a siren when it is reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers while responding to an emergency call or transporting a patient."
Alderman Reilly is grateful to Representative Mitchell for the effort he put forth to pass this important legislation. The Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 5632 on Thursday, May 31, 2018 and Governor Bruce Rauner signed HB 5632 into Illinois State Law - Public Act 100-0962 - on Sunday, August 19, 2018.
Emergency response vehicle operators need to be trained and educated about the new State of Illinois regulations that govern siren noise from emergency response vehicles. Public Act 100-0962 will take effect on Tuesday, January 1, 2019.
Although we expect Public Act 100-0962 will dramatically reduce the amount of siren noise from emergency response vehicles in downtown Chicago, Alderman Reilly's office will monitor this issue and consider other creative solutions to further reduce the impact of emergency response vehicle siren noise.