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Fallon County considers repurposing outdoor sirens for evacuation; staff to study federal civil‑defense rules
Summary
Planner Desiree Thievin presented a draft policy to repurpose some outdoor sirens from shelter‑in‑place to evacuation signals and to formalize testing, activation authority and public outreach. Commissioners asked staff to check federal 'civil defense' requirements and plan community education and alternate‑media messaging before changing operations.
Fallon County planners proposed repurposing one or more outdoor sirens so they could be used as evacuation alerts as well as shelter‑in‑place/weather signals. Desiree Thievin outlined a draft guidance policy that sets testing dates, potential activation authorities (dispatcher, law enforcement, fire or elected officials) and a public‑education plan so residents understand what different siren signals mean.
Commissioners raised several operational concerns: how to give evacuees directional guidance (for example, which quadrant of town to leave toward), how to reach residents without cell phones, potential confusion from having three different tones, and the technical ability to include pre‑recorded verbiage or messages over sirens. The planner and city representatives said systems such as IPAWS and CodeRED can deliver text and voice messages but that some residents (notably elderly people without cell service) may not receive those alerts unless landlines are included in outreach.
The commission asked staff to research whether federal civil‑defense requirements mandate a separate "civil defense" tone and to return with implementation steps, community education plans and recommendations about whether two siren signals (shelter‑in‑place and evacuation) would be sufficient. Commissioners emphasized tests should pair siren sounds with alternate‑media messages so residents learn what to do during a real event.
