GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids residents will hear the city’s outdoor warning sirens all year now. The city has finished an upgrade to the system and will now sound a test every month, at noon on each month’s first Friday, beginning this Friday, Nov. 6.
Until now, tests ran only from April through October. The new schedule keeps the sirens checked through the winter months as well.
The bigger change is how the sirens are triggered. The upgraded system uses geofencing, so it sounds only the sirens within a mile of an area the National Weather Service flags as under threat. City officials said that should spare people miles from a storm from hearing repeated alarms just because they sit inside one large zone. Kent County and the city can each set off the other’s sirens, giving the network full backup.
Grand Rapids runs 27 sirens, controlled by its Emergency Communications Center. They can sound for tornado warnings, destructive thunderstorms or other fast-moving dangers such as a hazardous materials release. A real alert is a steady, high-pitched tone lasting three minutes.
The sirens are meant for people outdoors and may not be heard inside newer homes and buildings. Anyone who hears one should get inside right away, move to the lowest floor away from windows, and check official city and emergency management channels for details.
Section: More Grand Rapids MI crime news
Filed under: Grand Rapids MI Public Safety News
