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Sherburne County to take possession of 48 outdoor warning sirens from Xcel; county to manage IPAWS integration
Summary
County staff announced receipt of 48 outdoor warning sirens from Xcel Energy and said the county will transition the systems to cities and townships that want them while integrating IPAWS alerts; commissioners asked for at least one public test of IPAWS phone alerts.
Sherburne County officials told the board they have received 48 outdoor warning sirens from Xcel Energy and will take ownership and manage those devices as they transition them to interested cities and townships over the next 18 months. The county said Xcel received federal approval for its IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) setup and the county will take steps to integrate those outdoor sirens with existing county systems.
Commissioners asked questions about how IPAWS will reach residents’ cell phones and whether the county or vendor would issue a public test. Several commissioners requested at least one test to confirm that phones in the county receive IPAWS alerts. County staff said IPAWS messages behave similarly to Amber Alerts in that if a phone is within the service area and has reception, it should get the alert, but staff agreed to follow up and confirm testing and frequency details with technical leads.
Staff stressed the dual role for the sirens: they remain useful for outdoor weather warnings as well as (in Sherburne County’s case) in the event of nuclear-related emergencies associated with nearby power facilities. The county said it will work with townships and cities to decide which jurisdictions want to keep sirens in service; units not claimed or no longer desired will be taken out of service. The county noted some older sirens may be cannibalized for parts if towns do not want to maintain them.
The county said local emergency management staff — including named contacts who will manage the transition — will coordinate with townships and cities and follow up with testing plans for IPAWS and the outdoor siren network. No immediate change to public warning operations was announced; staff said they will return with operational details and testing schedules.
