Arcata fire siren returns home after years at Kinetic race

The air raid siren that once called Arcata’s volunteer firefighters to emergencies is back where it began, returned to the Arcata Fire District after years of service with the Kinetic Grand Championship.

The siren had been used from about 1975 until the early 1990s to summon firefighters to respond across town. Crews hoisted it off the top of the downtown Arcata station on April 8, 2015, when the district said it would be replaced by the historic fire bell. Its return closes a loop on a piece of hardware that moved from emergency duty into a beloved Humboldt County tradition, then back to its original home.

The Arcata Fire District traces its origins to January 24, 1884, after a series of major town fires pushed residents to organize protection for the growing community. The district later received its charter on June 1, 1944, and saw its first paid personnel in 1953 as it shifted from all-volunteer service. Today, the district says it protects about 37,000 residents across 62 square miles, including Arcata, McKinleyville, Bayside, Manila, Jacoby Creek and surrounding rural areas.

The siren’s return came during the 57th annual Kinetic Grand Championship, which ran over Memorial Day weekend 2026. About 40 teams took part in the 50-mile race from Arcata to Ferndale, with human-powered art vehicles moving over land, sand, water and mud. The race began at Arcata Plaza on Saturday, May 23, with the traditional noon siren signaling the start.

For decades, the siren’s job was practical: alerting volunteer firefighters when emergencies broke out in Arcata. At the Kinetic Grand Championship, it became part of the pageantry, tied to a competition that began in 1969 and grew into one of Humboldt County’s most recognizable public rituals. Its return to the fire district restores a familiar object to public hands and reconnects Arcata to the institutions that shaped its civic life.