Emergency Management
Weather Warning Sirens
The funding and installation of your new outdoor warning system was approved as a part of the Bedford 2005 bond election in November 2001. This project is now completed and in full operation.
EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM - Install 10, 126-decibel, outdoor warning sirens and purchase and install a radio alert system for indoor warning of specific buildings.
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Rationale: Enables residents to prepare and take immediate cover during severe weather. The previous siren system was over 20 years old and didn't meet present requirements. The new sirens are capable of operating on a standby battery system to provide warnings in a total power failure. This feature was not available with the previous system. The previous equipment provide only two-thirds coverage for the city. The new system provides indoor notification system for high occupancy buildings (i.e. schools, hospitals, nursing homes). The new system provides coverage for all of Bedford. |
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Nine (9) new sirens have been installed and one existing siren was upgraded. The new siren system replaced a system installed about twenty (20) years ago.
Placement of the sirens was dependant on:
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The warning sirens, installed approximately fifty (50) feet above the ground, are designed to provide an outdoor warning radius of 5,400 feet. The sirens are radio controlled and can be sounded from the Police Dispatch center or the Emergency Operations Center.Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines for "outdoor warning" is exceeded by the new system. Because of the number of sirens and their placement, many homeowners will be able to hear the warnings inside their homes. The new state of the art electronic signaling system within the new sirens will allow daily testing without sounding the units.
Areas of Coverage
