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Girard staff outlines storm-siren policy; council urges residents to sign up for alerts
Summary
City staff said Girard activates outdoor sirens for county tornado warnings and advised residents that sirens are intended for outdoor notification only; the council urged public education and enrollment in Genesis Alerts and use of weather radios.
City staff told the Girard City Council on May 4 that the city’s storm sirens are activated when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the county and that the sirens are intended as an outdoor warning system, which may not be audible inside homes.
"Sirens are for outdoor use only; they are not meant to be heard inside," a city staff member said during the regular-business discussion and recommended that residents obtain weather radios and sign up for free alerts through Genesis Alerts for indoor and mobile notification.
Council President Darrell Westhoff thanked county emergency personnel for attending and emphasized that residents should pass the word when a tornado warning is issued so people have time to shelter. "Thank you to the Chief and County Emergency personnel for coming and explaining how the sirens work," Westhoff said during governing-body comments.
No ordinance or policy change was recorded; council direction emphasized public-awareness and education as the near-term approach to improving outdoor-to-indoor alerting for severe-weather events.
