The sound is so familiar in New Glarus that many residents barely look up anymore.

At noon each day, the village fire siren rises over downtown, its mechanical wail briefly taking over our town. A single long cycle, a single blast. For a few moments, it even interrupts the Swiss Church clock bells, which generally play at the top of every hour during the day — except, of course, when the siren has something louder to say.

For longtime residents, the noon siren is part of the rhythm of village life. It is nostalgic, practical and deeply familiar. But the same sound can carry a different meaning when it goes off at another time of day, raising the uneasy question of whether emergency crews are being called to help someone you know.

For visitors from larger cities, where outdoor sirens are seldom heard outside of severe weather tests or emergencies, the sound can be confusing. Some hear it and wonder whether something is wrong. Others simply do not know what it is, or that in many small towns, such sirens once played a central role in summoning volunteer firefighters.