St. Joseph County officials are asking members of the public to report whether they hear their nearest emergency siren during the system’s upcoming monthly test.
The county’s 67 sirens are tested on the first Thursday of every month at 11:30 a.m. They are designed to provide an outdoor warning system for severe weather and are not meant to be heard indoors.
The county does have a computer system that tracks whether the sirens are functioning. But reports from residents are especially helpful, emergency management deputy director Kalee Forman said.
“We are asking everybody to please step outside, if you live near a siren,” Forman said. “If you hear something, say something.”
Forman said recently, several of the sirens were not working due to battery issues or other mechanical problems. The county is in the process of converting all 67 sirens from batteries to wired electric power.
“Call us if you hear them, call us if you don’t hear them,” she said. “The more information the better, so we can send our techs out to at least take a look.”
Reports can be made by calling or texting 574-210-1702.
A map of all the sirens and the expected range of each one is available online.
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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