diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index 0dfa814a9..96eb0a540 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -15,6 +15,15 @@ EPICS Base 3.15.0.x releases are not intended for use in production systems.</p>
 <h2 align="center">Changes between 3.15.0.1 and 3.15.0.2</h2>
 <!-- Insert new items immediately below here ... -->
 
+<h3>alarmString.h deprecated again</h3>
+
+<p>The string arrays that provide string versions of the alarm status and
+severity values have been moved into libCom and the header file that used to
+instanciate them is no longer required, although a copy is still provided for
+backwards compatibility reasons. Only the alarm.h header needs to be included
+now to declare the epicsAlarmSeverityStrings and epicsAlarmConditionStrings
+arrays.</p>
+
 <h3>
 General purpose thread pool</h3>
 
diff --git a/src/ca/client/perl/Cap5.xs b/src/ca/client/perl/Cap5.xs
index 70cb487ea..e66a2aa06 100644
--- a/src/ca/client/perl/Cap5.xs
+++ b/src/ca/client/perl/Cap5.xs
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #include "db_access.h"
 #include "epicsVersion.h"
 #include "alarm.h"
-#include "alarmString.h"
 
 typedef union {
     dbr_long_t iv;
diff --git a/src/ca/client/tools/tool_lib.c b/src/ca/client/tools/tool_lib.c
index ddead1115..b503e125a 100644
--- a/src/ca/client/tools/tool_lib.c
+++ b/src/ca/client/tools/tool_lib.c
@@ -25,9 +25,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-#define epicsAlarmGLOBAL
 #include <alarm.h>
-#undef epicsAlarmGLOBAL
 #include <epicsTime.h>
 #include <epicsString.h>
 #include <cadef.h>
diff --git a/src/libCom/misc/Makefile b/src/libCom/misc/Makefile
index d623b3225..3d5412dc3 100644
--- a/src/libCom/misc/Makefile
+++ b/src/libCom/misc/Makefile
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ INC += testMain.h
 # epicsVersion.h is created by this Makefile
 INC += epicsVersion.h
 
+Com_SRCS += alarmString.c
 Com_SRCS += aToIPAddr.c
 Com_SRCS += adjustment.c
 Com_SRCS += cantProceed.c
diff --git a/src/libCom/misc/alarm.h b/src/libCom/misc/alarm.h
index 6aaab449d..5158206f7 100644
--- a/src/libCom/misc/alarm.h
+++ b/src/libCom/misc/alarm.h
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 #define INC_alarm_H
 
 #include "shareLib.h"
-#include "epicsTypes.h"
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -43,8 +42,6 @@ typedef enum {
 #define INVALID_ALARM       epicsSevInvalid
 #define lastEpicsAlarmSev   epicsSevInvalid
 
-epicsShareExtern const char *epicsAlarmSeverityStrings [ALARM_NSEV];
-
 
 /* ALARM STATUS - must match menuAlarmStat.dbd */
 
@@ -98,15 +95,15 @@ typedef enum {
 #define WRITE_ACCESS_ALARM  epicsAlarmWriteAccess
 #define lastEpicsAlarmCond  epicsAlarmWriteAccess
 
+
+/* Name string arrays */
+
+epicsShareExtern const char *epicsAlarmSeverityStrings [ALARM_NSEV];
 epicsShareExtern const char *epicsAlarmConditionStrings [ALARM_NSTATUS];
 
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
 
-#ifdef epicsAlarmGLOBAL
-#  include "alarmString.h"
-#endif
-
-
 #endif /* INC_alarm_H */
diff --git a/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.c b/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b8c72451c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.c
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/*************************************************************************\
+* Copyright (c) 2009 UChicago Argonne LLC, as Operator of Argonne
+*     National Laboratory.
+* Copyright (c) 2002 The Regents of the University of California, as
+*     Operator of Los Alamos National Laboratory.
+* EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
+* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution. 
+\*************************************************************************/
+/* $Revision-Id$ */
+
+/* String names for alarm status and severity values */
+
+#define epicsExportSharedSymbols
+#include "alarm.h"
+
+/* ALARM SEVERITIES - must match menuAlarmSevr.dbd and alarm.h */
+
+epicsShareDef const char * epicsAlarmSeverityStrings[ALARM_NSEV] = {
+    "NO_ALARM",
+    "MINOR",
+    "MAJOR",
+    "INVALID"
+};
+
+
+/* ALARM STATUS - must match menuAlarmStat.dbd and alarm.h */
+
+epicsShareDef const char * epicsAlarmConditionStrings[ALARM_NSTATUS] = {
+    "NO_ALARM",
+    "READ",
+    "WRITE",
+    "HIHI",
+    "HIGH",
+    "LOLO",
+    "LOW",
+    "STATE",
+    "COS",
+    "COMM",
+    "TIMEOUT",
+    "HWLIMIT",
+    "CALC",
+    "SCAN",
+    "LINK",
+    "SOFT",
+    "BAD_SUB",
+    "UDF",
+    "DISABLE",
+    "SIMM",
+    "READ_ACCESS",
+    "WRITE_ACCESS"
+};
diff --git a/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.h b/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.h
index 7051f13ff..75fe2317c 100644
--- a/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.h
+++ b/src/libCom/misc/alarmString.h
@@ -8,60 +8,27 @@
 \*************************************************************************/
 /* $Revision-Id$ */
 
-/* String names for alarms */
+/*
+ * This file is deprecated, use alarm.h instead.
+ *
+ * Old string names for alarm status and severity values
+ */
 
 #ifndef INC_alarmString_H
 #define INC_alarmString_H
 
+#include "alarm.h"
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-/* Compatibility with original alarmString.h names */
+/* Old versions of alarmString.h defined these names: */
 
 #define alarmSeverityString epicsAlarmSeverityStrings
 #define alarmStatusString epicsAlarmConditionStrings
 
 
-/* Name strings */
-
-/* ALARM SEVERITIES - must match menuAlarmSevr.dbd and alarm.h */
-
-const char * epicsAlarmSeverityStrings[] = {
-    "NO_ALARM",
-    "MINOR",
-    "MAJOR",
-    "INVALID"
-};
-
-
-/* ALARM STATUS - must match menuAlarmStat.dbd and alarm.h */
-
-const char * epicsAlarmConditionStrings[] = {
-    "NO_ALARM",
-    "READ",
-    "WRITE",
-    "HIHI",
-    "HIGH",
-    "LOLO",
-    "LOW",
-    "STATE",
-    "COS",
-    "COMM",
-    "TIMEOUT",
-    "HWLIMIT",
-    "CALC",
-    "SCAN",
-    "LINK",
-    "SOFT",
-    "BAD_SUB",
-    "UDF",
-    "DISABLE",
-    "SIMM",
-    "READ_ACCESS",
-    "WRITE_ACCESS"
-};
-
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif