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Last Siren Activation
for Warning:
5:24AM (EDT) June 6, 2010
Tornado Warning
CITY
OF NILES SIREN ACTIVATION POLICY
Public safety officials from the City of Niles would like
to ensure that all residents understand the policy for initiating
the City of Niles Outdoor Emergency Warning System.
When
you hear the outdoor sirens you should turn to a local television
or radio station for further news and instructions. Please
do not call Niles Police or Fire, or 911 to inquire if there
is an emergency occurring. Phone lines need to be free to
handle calls regarding the dangerous situations and life-threatening
conditions unfolding should an emergency be in progress.
The City of Niles follows National Weather Service (NWS) guidelines for alerting and as of October 1, 2007 alert the public using STORM-BASED WARNINGS (SBW) which are more specific so NOT to alert an entire county when only a portion may be affected. This SBW approach is designed to improve the specificity and accuracy of warnings.
Some residents have misconceptions about how and when the
outdoor warning system is activated. Please be aware of the
following:
• The outdoor warning system is designed only to inform
those who are outside in the open areas, of a tornado warning
issued for the area. The system is NOT designed to warn residents
within the confines of a residential, commercial, educational
or other occupancy.
• The warning system is in place to warn residents of
tornados. The system will be activated once per warning period
as determined by the National Weather Service (NWS).
• The outdoor warning sirens are activated by the Niles
911 Communications Center.
• In the event of an actual sighting of a tornado in
the area, observed prior to a warning issued by the NWS, law
enforcement, fire service or emergency management agency can
have the sirens activated.
• The system is NOT activated for thunderstorms, other
severe weather conditions or perceived imminent hazards after
the initial tornado warning activation has been made.
• The warning sirens will NOT be activated to signal
an “all clear.”
• In the event that a previously issued tornado warning
expires, and the NWS issues a fresh tornado warning for the
area, the warning system will be activated again in response
to the new warning.
SIREN
TESTING INFORMATION
The next regularly scheduled siren test will be
July 31, 2010 @ 12:00 PM (Weather Permitting)
(Last Successful Test: July 24, 2010 12:00pm)
The City of Niles tests their emergency warning
siren system every Saturday at 12:00pm during the spring,
summer and fall months and it will run for three minutes.
During the winter months the sirens are tested the 1st Saturday
of each month at 12:00pm and it will run for three minutes.
The test will not be done if there are stormy conditions in
the area or conditions look favorable for stormy weather.
It
is important to remember that the sirens are NOT in place
to be heard indoors. Every home should have a NOAA Weather
Radio with S.A.M.E. technology.
There
are seven siren locations throughout the city. If weather
is less than ideal, or it is windy, the siren's volume could
be louder or softer than on an ideal day. If you have any
questions concerning our outdoor warning system please contact
the Niles Emergency Manager at ttelego@nilesema.com.
Click
here to hear a sample Emergency Warning Siren
Current Outdoor Warning Siren
Locations
(Click graphic to Enlarge)
If,
for some reason, the sirens need to be tested on an unscheduled
day (likely because of a malfunction that needs repaired),
an announcement will be posted on this web site. However,
if there is not an announcement, and the duration of the siren
lasts longer than a minute, an emergency is likely to be in
progress. One should then turn to a local television station
for further news and instructions. Please
do not call Niles Police or Fire, or 911 to inquire if there
is an emergency occurring. Phone lines need to be free to
handle calls regarding the dangerous situations and life-threatening
conditions unfolding should an emergency be in progress.
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