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By Bill Hawley
As we have experienced recent severe weather, it’s important to remember that the City of Allen uses an outdoor warning system to alert residents of emergencies. The city’s outdoor warning system consists of 13 sirens in strategic locations around the city. Siren locations include greenbelts, fire stations, and other right of ways.
The outdoor warning system makes use of several distinct tones to alert residents. The system will broadcast tones followed by voice notification of the emergency. There are preset notifications for emergencies, such as severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings, sustained winds of 70 MPH or higher or notice of a hazardous materials incident.
Residents can listen to these tones online at www.atisystem.com/swf/tones.swf. Additionally, the fire department can transmit live voice notifications for unique incidents such as hazardous chemical spills. These types of notifications would include a description of the emergency as well as specific instructions for residents.
Another unique feature of the city’s system is that the 13 sirens can be activated simultaneously, in¬¬dividually, or in groups. For an emergency that will impact the entire community such as severe storms, all of the sites will simultaneously broadcast the same warning. There are times that only a portion of the community will be impacted and therefore only selected sites need to broadcast the warning.
The city no longer needs to conduct a monthly live test of the outdoor warning system, as complete diagnostic testing can be done without disturbing the public. The system computer checks the siren speakers, amplifiers and other components constantly and reports any malfunctions to the system manager. A unique feature of the system is the ability to audibly test the sites by playing the sound of church bells instead of the warning tones.
Keep in mind that the system is primarily designed to warn people who are outside. The system can also be heard indoors depending on the level of noise inside a business or residence and the proximity of the building to a site. The speed and direction of the wind and barriers, such as trees and buildings, can also affect the sound range. The system was not designed to provide an emergency alert that would wake individuals up in the middle of the night so it is important to monitor weather as needed.
When warning sirens sound, it is important to take shelter and tune into local radio, television, or N.O.A.A. Weather Radio (162.400 MHz) for more information. Be sure to have a first aid kit, flashlight and battery-powered receiver ready. Residents are advised not to ignore warning sirens and to not call 911 unless there is a need to report an emergency. The 911 service should not be used for general inquiries about the nature of an emergency since general inquiries delay the response that might be needed for actual emergencies.
The City of Allen is designated as storm ready by the National Weather Service. The Allen Fire Department works with NBC 5-KXAS-TV Weather Team to provide residents with as much information as possible in the event of adverse weather conditions. The Fire Department provides a link to the KXAS-TV online weather reports and maps from its web page at www.cityofallen.org/fire/pub_ed_and_info/weather.htm. This page
also includes all types of weather safety information.
The KXAS-TV online weather information can be accessed directly at http://kxas.weatherplus.com/wxplocal/index.html. Another great resource for residents can be accessed at www.knowwhat2do.com. The KnoWhat2Do web site, developed through the collaboration of our North Central Texas regional governments, teaches residents how to Think, Prepare and Act to protect personal safety as it relates to severe weather, hazardous materials, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, gas wells and pipelines, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
For more information regarding the outdoor warning system, contact the Fire Marshal/Emergency Management Coordinator at 214-509-4403 or by email at cgillis@cityofallen.org. Educational programs, videos and presentations are available by contacting the Fire Department’s Public Education Coordinator at 214-509-4413 or by email at lgreenidge@cityofallen.org.
Bill Hawley is the Fire Chief for the City of Allen. |
