On April 22, 1952, the first-ever air raid siren test sounded in Wichita. Some of the oldest Thunderbolt sirens in the United States were still in use across Sedgwick County up until late last year.

That's because the Caledonia fire siren, a 1962 1003 air raid siren, Thunderbolt, was actually a civil defense siren. Last February, CFD retired the 50 year old siren and installed a new ...