By Dusty Dienst, Joe Johnson, & Jeff Schroepfer
Let’s take a moment to chat about outdoor warning sirens. Notice we didn’t call them tornado sirens? Because that’s not what they are.
Outdoor warning sirens are a tool used by emergency officials to warn the public of an immediate threat to life safety hazards from many types of potential hazards and threats. In Rice County, these sirens are activated in quadrants, meaning they may sound in southeast Rice County if a threat there warrants it, but that doesn’t mean it will sound in northwest Rice County if there’s no current threat in that location.
Most prominently used for severe weather, outdoor warning sirens are intended to alert people who are outdoors. And when you hear them, you should seek additional information when you arrive in a safe place.
As noted in the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers Outdoor Warning Siren Best Practices handbook, the sirens should have you thinking, “Get inside and get information.”
These best practices also define when the sirens should sound, specifically for severe weather:
- Tornadoes (National Weather Service (NWS) tornado warnings and/or trained spotter reported)
- Extreme Winds (NWS measured or imminent at or above 75 MPH)
On Monday evening, sirens were activated throughout the county after Rice County Emergency Management was advised by the National Weather Service-Twin Cities of estimated wind speeds exceeding 70 mph with the 10:16 p.m. warned storm.
Also note that there is no such thing as an “all-clear,” so stay tuned to local news and information for updates. Seek out information from trusted sources, such as radio, NOAA radios, television and local media. It’s also wise to have multiple ways to receive alerts, such as the Everbridge Alert System (https://member.everbridge.net/453003085612579/login) which sends alerts via text, email or phone, or from weather apps for your smartphone.
Besides severe weather, other situations such as the release of hazardous materials or an immediate security threat may require that sirens be used to tell people to take shelter.
These sirens are a tool to make people aware of an immediate threat and are intended to get your attention, but they’re not going to give you all the answers. So please, stay informed and stay safe!
Dusty Dienst is the emergency management director for the city of Faribault, Joe Johnson is the Rice County emergency management director and Jeff Schroepfer is the Northfield police chief.
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