Contact: Sgt. Joel Roon - 616.632.6106
Email: joel.roon@kentcountymi.gov
Supervisor Approval: Lou Hunt  
 

Statement on the Kent County Outdoor Warning Sirens From Emergency Managment:

Kent County Emergency Management and City of Grand Rapids Emergency Management will be conducting a monthly test of the outdoor warning sirens tomorrow, Friday May 3rd, at 12:00pm.  If you do not hear the sirens, and believe you should have, you can fill out and submit the following online google form at: http://bit.ly/kcwarningsirens, or you can contact your local township or city office.  The tests will continue the first Friday of each month, April through October, at 12:00pm. 

The purpose of the outdoor warning sirens is to provide one of many means to alert citizens of an imminent hazard and to prompt them to find shelter and seek further information.  The outdoor warning sirens are one facet of a broad system of emergency warning that also includes weather and media apps for smart phones, NOAA radios, and local radio and television alerts.  It is understood that the outdoor warning sirens may not be able to reach the interior of all homes due to distance, improved housing construction and sound deadening features, and/or the specific location of the resident within the home such as a basement, so redundant methods of emergency alert are recommended. 

The testing of the outdoor warning sirens is also an excellent time to discuss plans for severe weather both at home, and in your workplace.  A safety plan should include ways to receive alerts and warnings, and also it should name specific actions that are prompted by those alerts or warnings.  For example, you might determine that a tornado watch would mean that your kids should play at home, as opposed to elsewhere in the neighborhood, and a tornado warning would dictate that everyone should take cover in a safe room, such as a basement.  Your safety plan should also include methods for family and friends to communicate, including a backup method.  It is also recommended that basic necessities be stockpiled in a safe room such as a basement, but also consider a safe and familiar place to rendezvous if home is not accessible.  For more information regarding preparedness, please go to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management page at Access Kent - Emergency Management.