Sleepy Yellowknifers say emergency sirens keeping them up at night, ask for change

Sleeping with open windows during the summer is a treat some Yellowknifers can't afford.

Eli Purchase lives between the city's downtown and Old Town and says he can't sleep well because of emergency sirens.

"If an emergency vehicle is responding to a call at three in the morning, it wakes you up in the middle of the night," Purchase told CBC. "You don't really get a good night of sleep."

Last week, Purchase took to Facebook and asked the City of Yellowknife to consider adopting a noise abatement program like the City of Calgary has where sirens are only used when they're necessary and for the shortest amount of time possible.

"Any way for emergency services to not use sirens at night/early morning unless there is actually a car in the way/they are going through a controlled intersection?" he asked.

Purchase's post was commented on by a few other Yellowknifers, with some chiming in to say that the sirens are also affecting their sleep.

"If you've ever driven around Yellowknife at two or three in the morning, there's not a lot of traffic, so there's not really a lot of vehicles that need to be warned to get out of the way by a siren," Purchase says.

The City of Yellowknife says it's heard the concerns and is reviewing its policy.

In Yellowknife, quiet times need to be respected between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., according to the noise bylaw. Individuals who violate the bylaw can be fined up to $2,000, and corporations can face a $10,000 fine but it doesn't apply to emergency services.

Some other cities in Canada are now using a combination of lights and high-tech sirens that allow motorists and nearby pedestrians to feel the sound waves.

"It just seems that the City of Yellowknife could allow emergency services vehicles to have some discretion asto when and how they use their sirens and use them only when they really need to," said Purchase.

Yellowknife RCMP said their use of emergency lights and sirens is based on the type of call for service and the need for expediency. A spokesperson said that "when it is deemed necessary," RCMP will use the equipment.

Purchase saidif he doesn't hear back from the City of Yellowknife, he'll take his concerns to city councillors.