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Resident urges return of sirens; city officials point to state STEER sign-up and agree to research options
Summary
A resident told Bellaire City Council July 21 that the city should not rely solely on cellphone alerts and urged reinstalling public warning sirens after citing past hazardous spills and local flash floods. Fire Chief Deacon Tittle described the state-managed STEER program and staff said they will explore siren options and costs.
A long-time Bellaire resident urged the City Council July 21 to consider restoring a public siren system to supplement cellphone emergency alerts and door-to-door warning efforts.
Resident Daniel (identified in the meeting transcript as Mr. Platt/Blanton) told the council he missed a phone alert while mowing his lawn during a chemical incident in 2023 and cited other regional hazardous-incident examples, tornado vulnerability and flash flooding as reasons the city should not rely solely on cellphone notifications.
Fire Chief and Emergency Manager Deacon Tittle described the state of Texas “STEAR” (referred to in the meeting as the S.T.E.R. program) signup and outreach process as managed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Tittle said residents can register through the city website or by phone and the city will attempt outreach before and after an event and do follow-up checks for registrants when necessary. He reported that a recent outreach campaign helped raise registrations from about 25 to roughly 1,100 over the course of an 18‑month push and encouraged more residents to sign up.
Councilmembers and staff discussed sirens' costs and distinguishing civil‑defense-style sirens from vehicle sirens used by emergency responders. Councilmember Taylor and others said sirens should be explored because cellphone service can fail during severe storms and because sirens provide a non‑digital, broad alerting method. Councilmember Lewis asked how a warning siren would be distinguishable from traffic and ambulance sirens; staff replied the tone and pattern are distinct for public warnings. No formal motion or appropriation was made July 21; council members asked staff to research options and costs and report back for further consideration.
The city manager and fire chief provided sign-up options for the state program and public information that would remain available on the city website.
