Saline County Emergency Management
Saline County will conduct regular testing of the outdoor warning sirens today, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m.
The outdoor warning sirens are a system intended to notify residents outside their homes or places of business that severe weather is imminent. It is just one part of a multi-layered system to alert residents of potential life-threatening storms.
The sirens are designed and intended to be outdoor warning devices ONLY and their sound may not penetrate a structure because of the distance from the siren; background noise levels within the structure; and other factors such as wind speed and direction, obstruction (trees and buildings) present in the sound path, and changes in terrain. The planning range for the effectiveness of the warning signals at a normal 70 decibels for the residential area is approximately 5,120 feet.
The Adopt a Siren Program aims to promote community engagement and education of the area's outdoor warning siren system. This program encourages people to be proactive in their emergency preparedness efforts and stay informed about local emergency alerts and warnings. The goal is to contribute to a more resilient and prepared community.
The program invites community members to become adopters of an Outdoor Warning Siren in their local area. Adopters will be dedicated to one siren within the community and will have the opportunity to observe and track the effectiveness of their siren and share that information on their social network and with the Emergency Management Office.
The sirens are tested on the 1st Monday of every month at 4:00 p.m., weather permitting, and adopters can report their observations by tagging the program on social media or by emailing a report to [email protected] that the siren was functioning properly or not during the test.
Adopters are not required to be present at every test of their siren.
Participating as an adopter enhances the reliability of routine tests and overall emergency preparedness efforts in the community. Your dedication as an adopter will help ensure that the community's outdoor warning sirens are in optimal working condition and play a critical role in safeguarding community members' safety and well-being during emergencies. Adopters will go through a brief online training to learn about the proper functioning of an Outdoor Warning Siren.