Southold Will Probably Not Sound Fire Alarms for Newtown Victims Friday

On the one week anniversary of the Newtown school shooting, vigils and various acts of remembrance for the victims will take place, such as the ringing of church bells, in communities around the nation.

However, there is one national commemoration that local fire departments have opted not to do out of fear it will cause more alarm during a week that already has many on edge after last week's violent attack. In addition, Friday marks the day the Mayans predicted the world would end.

The Suffolk County Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services sent out a memo to all county fire departments on Thursday noting that they could, if they chose to, sound their alarms 26 times on Friday morning at 9:45 in honor of the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy and as a way to honor fellow firefighters and EMS personnel.

Southold Fire Department Chief Bill Byrnes said on Thursday afternoon that he'd just gotten the notification from the county but said that residents would most likely be more confused than anything about hearing so many alarms.

"I think it would just cause panic to tell the truth," he said. "I don't think this is something we will be able to do."

Byrnes added that the department had had their flag at half mast since the tragedy last Friday and will keep it there through tomorrow.

Other North Fork fire department chiefs were not immediately available for comment.

Joe Williams, the commissioner of Suffolk FRES, said his department is not advocating for the commemoration, but that the memo was sent out on behalf of fire departments that said they wanted to do it. "We're not telling them to do it. We have no authority to tell them do it," Williams said.

"Naturally everybody is concerned," he said that people won't know what the sirens are for exactly. He hoped the departments will spread the word. "I know for a fact that not every department is participating."