OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN POLICY
Emergency Warning sirens have been installed to alert the citizens of Fairfield County who may be outdoors during the time a Tornado Warning is issued by the National Weather Service for Fairfield County or any other emergency deemed necessary. The sirens are not intended to alert people indoors during a warning. It is highly recommended that each residence, business, school and church purchase weather alert radios that are automatically activated during severe weather occurrences.
ACTIVATION
If the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Fairfield County, the sirens will sound continuously for 3 minutes. The sirens will then silence for 7 minutes and again sound for 3 minutes. This cycle will continue throughout the warning time period.
When the warning has expired or has been canceled, the sirens will silence.
With updated software and technology, the sirens can be activated by zone areas within the county. If any of the sirens in a single zone is within the NWS polygon of the alerted tornado warning, all the sirens in that zone will be activated.
THERE IS NO ALL CLEAR SIGNAL OR SOUND, WHEN THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED OR THE WARNING TIME HAS EXPIRED. TESTING
Each Wednesday of every week the sirens will automatically be activated for a duration of 30 seconds. If severe weather is forecast, or is observed in the area, the weekly test will be postponed until the next weekly noon test to avoid confusion. The EMA will update their social media pages if this would occur.
The weekly tests are conducted to test the operation of the sirens and to familiarize the citizens with the sound of the siren, should a Tornado ever strike.
MAINTENANCE
The Emergency Warning Sirens in Fairfield County are property of the jurisdiction in which they are located. Maintenance for the sirens is a responsibility of that jurisdiction. The Fairfield County EMA will coordinate any maintenance at the jurisdiction's request.
SIREN SPOTTER TEAM
The Siren Spotter Team serves as the eyes and ears of the Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency during our weekly test of the Fairfield County Outdoor Warning System. This important team helps to ensure that all 46 sirens are operational and ready to go when needed.
During the test, each team member observers their assigned siren ensuring that it activates properly. Once the test is complete, they report back to us basic information about the siren. This allows a member of our office to perform any needed maintenance.
The team members are not expected to report back about their siren weekly, as we understand that is not always possible. We do however request that a report be made at least once a month. If you are near a siren during our weekly tests on Wednesday at noon and would like to become a member of our volunteer team, please sign up using this survey.
Siren Spotter Team Weekly Field Report
Click here to let us know how your assigned siren performed.