Most Missouri residents know the feeling in the pit of their stomachs when they hear the sound of an outdoor warning siren. While its sound is far from pleasant, it is the most effective way to alert people of a life-threatening situation, such as a tornado or other danger, and encourage them to go indoors and tune into local media to gather more information.
In short, outdoor warning sirens can save lives.
That’s why Perryville Emergency Management Director Jeremy Mantz is spreading the word about the city’s new outdoor warning siren activation system, which was installed and has been fully functioning since Aug. 15.
“The main driving force of installing the new system was that dispatching is switching over to St. Francois County’s Central Dispatch,” he said. “Before, our sirens were set off by our city police department dispatch by radio and with that going away, we wanted to keep it local. We wanted the tornado sirens to be something we can control. If we see something and the National Weather Service (NWS) hasn’t issued a warning, we can still activate them.”
According to Mantz, his predecessor, Bill Jones had planned to use the new system sometime in the future, but the dispatching agreement with St. Francois County Emergency Management accelerated the process. The system will utilize the city’s seven outdoor warning sirens.
“The new equipment and software will monitor the National Weather Service for any tornado warnings issued,” Mantz said. “When a tornado warning polygon is issued from the NWS and intersects a roughly five-mile circle around the city’s center, the system automatically sends out tone signals from an encoder and a mobile radio activating all outdoor warning sirens. The system also includes a mobile phone application to activate sirens even if the NWS has not issued a warning but emergency personnel in the field feel the need to alert the community.
“Redundancy has also been implemented to activate the sirens manually by mobile and handheld radios from Perryville Fire Department chief officers. Even in the event of an internet outage, sirens can still be controlled to provide safety when needed. The complete automation system is connected to battery backup and generator power in the event of power outages. The siren sites are also serviced by battery backup on each siren pole. Also, sirens in the City of Perryville are checked on the first Monday of each month to make sure they are in good working order.”
Mantz explained that while sirens are primarily associated with tornado warnings, they are sometimes sounded for wind and hail.
“When thunderstorm winds exceed 70 mph, trees can be uprooted or snapped,” he said. “Hail that is golf ball-sized or larger can break windows. Both things pose a direct risk to life if people are caught outdoors.”
Mantz noted that outdoor warning sirens are designed to alert only those outside that something dangerous is approaching. When inside a structure, another warning device can save lives.
“For alerts indoors, every home and business should have a NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards,” he said. “NOAA Weather Radio is like a smoke detector for severe weather, and it can wake you up when a warning is issued for your area so you can take appropriate action.”
Mantz stressed that the public shouldn’t expect outdoor warning sirens to warn them about every dangerous storm.
“The safest approach is to be proactive and use all the information available to protect yourself and your family from threatening weather,” he said. “Nothing can replace common sense. If a storm is approaching, the lightning alone is a threat. Sirens are only part of a warning system that includes preparation, NOAA Weather Radio, and local media."
