Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Alerts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ada fire official says sheriff's office told them not to sound siren; sheriff says Ada controls its own warning
Summary
Rich Boucek of the Ada Fire Department said the sheriff's office told them not to activate the tornado siren, a directive he called dangerous; Sheriff Russell Thornton said Ada controls its own tornado warning and will review the matter with the fire department.
Rich Boucek of the Ada Fire Department told the commission that the previous night the sheriff's office informed them "not to blow the tornado siren, trying not to create a panic," and Boucek said that instruction "jeopardized the public's safety."
Sheriff Russell Thornton responded that "Ada controls their own tornado warning" and added that "if they need to set it off, they need to set it off." Thornton said he would review the matter with the Ada Fire Department to clarify procedures going forward. The exchange highlighted a procedural gap between the fire department and sheriff's office about local tornado-alert activation.
The commission took no formal action at the May 18 meeting beyond asking the Sheriff to review the situation with Ada fire officials.
