Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richmond resident urges targeted firefighter alerts to curb frequent townwide sirens
Summary
A Richmond resident told city council the town's sirens sound so often people ignore warnings; she asked for a way to alert only volunteers. City officials said the sirens summon volunteers to the fire hall and the department and city will follow up with the city manager.
Kim McDowell, a Richmond resident, told the City Council during public comment that the town’s emergency sirens sound so frequently residents ignore them. “They go off like absolute crazy,” McDowell said, adding that neighbors ignored a recent tornado warning until a phone alert urged them to take cover.
McDowell asked whether the town could narrow alerts to only the volunteer firefighters rather than sounding a townwide alarm, arguing that modern dispatch systems can message only the people needed. “There’s no reason that it needs to alert the entire town when it just needs to alert these few people that are actually the volunteers,” she said.
City leaders and the mayor responded that Richmond uses the siren pattern to alert volunteers who respond from their homes or workplaces to the fire hall. The mayor said the long blast is used for wide-area weather alerts and the up-and-down pattern is used to summon volunteers to Main Street and surrounding areas. Council members and fire officials noted volunteers also carry pagers and other electronics, but the town-run siren serves as audible notification so vehicles and residents know volunteers are en route.
Council members said the city and fire department have reviewed siren use recently and invited McDowell to discuss her concerns with the city manager for a fuller explanation. The council did not take formal action; officials said staff would continue to evaluate options and that the fire department has examined how alerts are sent.
Ending — Residents who want to discuss the volunteer alert system further were encouraged to contact the city manager’s office to schedule a follow-up conversation with staff and the fire department.
