Thomas County's warning system never activated

[Charlie Davidson]

Your concern of not having an outdoor warning siren system is valid. As a fire chief, I would recommend that you contact the officials in each city in the county (mayor, fire chief, etc.) on your concerns. They could pressure the county to install, maintain and use a warning siren system.

It is really ridiculous not to have an outdoor warning system. Particularly in the parts of the county that have recreation area (parks, beaches, lakes, campgrounds, etc.) that have many visitors who are outside, no landline phones and need adequate warning to take shelter for inclement weather.

Your EMA director needs to wake up or get fired IMHO.

Well, our county has a few sirens, but there is only one in the city (which is a Sentry 16V1T-B) and it's located on the back side of Industrial Park. Our city has a very small system already in place, but we need more than just one siren in the city limits that is not in a low-populated industrial area. Elsewhere in the county, there is a Federal Model 5 at a VFD in Burns and another Federal Model 5 in White Bluff on a water tower. Those are still nowhere near the city limits of Dickson, their just in the county.

[Dieselfan66]

So what if there was a such thing as an automated activation system? Say that there were various parameters monitored like wind speed, humidity levels, temperature differences, and NWS data and that was all compiled by a computer. If certain parameters were met, it would automatically activate a warning system; whether its sirens, reverse 911, or both....

This would be a good example of where it could have been used properly. Its been my experience that many dispatchers simply do not want to "inconvience" people with activating a siren system or reverse 911 system, even if its in their job description.

[r4tbolts]

So what if there was a such thing as an automated activation system? Say that there were various parameters monitored like wind speed, humidity levels, temperature differences, and NWS data and that was all compiled by a computer. If certain parameters were met, it would automatically activate a warning system; whether its sirens, reverse 911, or both....

This would be a good example of where it could have been used properly. Its been my experience that many dispatchers simply do not want to "inconvience" people with activating a siren system or reverse 911 system, even if its in their job description.

\

No one wants to cry wolf syndrome. Written sop's cure that 99% of the time.

[SirenMadness]

This would be a good example of where it could have been used properly. Its been my experience that many dispatchers simply do not want to "inconvience" people with activating a siren system or reverse 911 system, even if its in their job description.

That's the thing that seems to be a weak link in the chain for any public-warning system - the dispatchers can be wrong at times, though I've never heard of a case like that until now. Though I am against it, I wouldn't even blame the reverse-911 system here, I'd blame the dispatcher, who might have just as easily screwed up even if siren were in the picture.

Speaking of automated systems, isn't the M.A.R.S. system a good alternative for meteorological warnings? Isn't Sentry who makes it?

[holler]

I think sentry distributes it, not exactly sure though.

[Dieselfan66]

There is no such thing as a M.A.R.S. system for public warning use.

[SirenMadness]

It's not really for public-warning use directly, but it activates the sirens when specific measurements are met, IIRC. The old Sirens-for-Cities site had a page on it.

[holler]

Ed Wise had it on his page for a while.

EDIT: Oops Peter beat me to it.

[Dieselfan66]

Well there are boxes that detect potential lightning strikes too, but they are from such independent firms and are all one-offs, theres no name for them. Devices that monitor weather conditions are nothing new, and date back into the seventies. They haven't been improved on but maybe they should be for siren and reverse 911 activation.

[Charlie Davidson]

Well there are boxes that detect potential lightning strikes too, but they are from such independent firms and are all one-offs, theres no name for them. Devices that monitor weather conditions are nothing new, and date back into the seventies. They haven't been improved on but maybe they should be for siren and reverse 911 activation.

Speaking of lightning detection systems, Franklin, TN's Modulators have the optional lightning detection gizmos on them. Maybe one day I will be able to see (or hear for that matter) the lightning detection systems in action.