Guest Column

Sirens about saving residents' lives

By Gail Tierney
Published July 25, 2006

With the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season in full swing, it seems appropriate to remind residents in Citrus County's coastal communities (as well as those in southwestern Levy County) what the role of the county's warning siren system is.

Should the area experience hazardous weather, an event at the Crystal River nuclear plant or any emergency that threatens life or property, the sirens will sound continuously for three to five minutes, letting residents know that officials have important information to disseminate.

In response, residents should tune their televisions or radios to one of the Emergency Alert System stations for the latest information from emergency management officials. If protective actions are necessary, residents will be provided with these instructions as well.

The siren system also is tested every Friday (except holidays) at noon. A siren test lasts only 10 seconds, and no action on the part of the public is required in these instances.

While the siren system is the primary method for alerting the public of an emergency, the Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Section also has the capability of utilizing its CodeRED emergency notification system.

Whether emergency management officials need to notify all Citrus County residents or only those in a specific geographic location, they can use CodeRED, an Internet, high-speed telephone calling system. This emergency notification tool delivers a prerecorded message to homes, businesses or answering machines at a rate of 60,000 calls per hour.

If you're listed in the telephone directory, your number more than likely is in the CodeRED database already.

However, if your telephone number is unlisted or you use a cell phone exclusively, you will need to register that number (or perhaps even an alternative number) to receive notification via CodeRED.

Go to the Sheriff's Office Web site at www.sheriffcitrus.org and click on the CodeRED logo to register and learn more. Or call 746-6555.

Additionally, law enforcement and fire officials have the capability of canvassing affected areas and notifying the public using loudspeakers or by going door to door.

A new siren system is due to be installed by the end of this year. Through a cooperative effort by Progress Energy and the Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Section, 40 new state-of-the-art sirens will be installed to replace the current units. Twenty-eight sirens will be placed in Citrus County, with the remaining 12 scheduled for installation in Levy County.

While Progress Energy will fund the purchase of all 40 sirens, plus their maintenance costs, Citrus County will actually own the system.

The sirens situated directly on the coastline will be erected on concrete poles to increase their stability. Some wooden poles will still be used in less-threatened areas. All of the sirens, however, will have a wider coverage area.

The current siren units were installed in 1993, after the no-name storm. The control system for the sirens, however, is 1980s vintage. This time, all 40 sirens, plus the control system, will be replaced to further enhance reliability.

Testing and startup of the new siren system is expected before the end of 2006.

This information is supplied by Gail Tierney, spokeswoman for the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

[Last modified July 25, 2006, 06:36:45]