Madison County EMA/CSEPP will be conducting tests of the new outdoor warning sirens in Madison County.

Sound Checks for New Sirens

New Outdoor Warning Sirens Ready for County-wide Sound Check

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9/14/2023 Update - Successful Sound Check (Final) for New Outdoor Warning Sirens

We can verify that the sirens activated, this morning, and they could be heard outside.

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9/7/2023 Update - Successful Sound Check (3 of 3) for New Outdoor Warning Sirens

The EKU EM&S and the EH&S Teams were out at the four Sirens, on the Richmond Campus, and we can verify that the sirens activated and could be heard outside. It is important to note, again, that this is one alert method of a multi-modal alerting protocol. This is the outdoor warning siren system, and it is meant for outdoor warning, only. The sirens are not meant to be heard indoors. Indoor notifications can be accomplished by Alert FM Radios and Rave Mobile Safety, depending on the nature and severity of the event.

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8/31/2023 Update - Successful Sound Check (2 of 3) for New Outdoor Warning Sirens

The EKU EM&S and the EH&S Teams were out at the four Sirens, on the Richmond Campus, and we can verify that the sirens activated and could be heard outside. It is important to note, however, that this is one alert method of a multi-modal alerting protocol. This is the outdoor warning siren system, and it is meant for outdoor warning, only. The sirens are not meant to be heard indoors. Indoor notifications can be accomplished by Alert FM Radios and Rave Mobile Safety, depending on the nature and severity of the event.

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8/28/2023 Update - Successful Sound Check (1 of 3) for New Outdoor Warning Sirens

The EKU EM&S and the EH&S Teams were out at the four Sirens, on the Richmond Campus, and we can verify that the sirens activated and could be heard outside. The County opted to only run one tone, the High Wail, and they ran it for 90 seconds. The press release they had sent out indicated that they would test all sounds, but after speaking with them, after the test, we learned that the press release was meant to cover all bases, as they were not certain about exactly how they would conduct this first test. They will discuss the results further and determine how they will test on August 31^st and September 7^th. We can expect them to test on those days, at 10AM, but it may not be all the tones. For those of you who are used to being able to hear the sirens when you are inside of buildings, on the Richmond Campus, please know that these sirens are really only meant as Outdoor Warning Sirens. They are meant to be heard when you are outside, not inside. The old siren system, had the sirens mounted on building rooftops. The new sirens are mounted on outdoor poles.

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Richmond, Ky. (August 23, 2023) – Madison County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) will be conducting tests of the new outdoor warning sirens in Madison County. The final sound check is scheduled for Thursday September 14^th, at 10:00 a.m. The purpose of these tests are to check functionality of the new sirens being installed throughout the county which continue to improve our alert system.

At 10:00 a.m. when the system is activated, new outdoor warning sirens across the county will conduct a sound check lasting between 3-5 minutes. This sound check will play a short growl tone. Additionally, residents may hear several short and low growl sounds from nearby sirens in the days leading up to these sound checks as siren technicians prepare for the tests. These growl sounds and sound checks do NOT indicate an emergency. Tests will NOT be conducted if severe weather is expected.

Residents should note these important upcoming changes to the outdoor warning siren system in Madison County:

• New sirens will *not* have voiceovers after the warning sound
• New sirens will only alert for tornado warnings – sirens will NOT sound for any watches, nor for thunderstorm warnings
• New sirens will use three tones:

o Test tone: a High Wail lasting 30 seconds
o Tornado warning: a High Wail lasting 60 seconds
o Chemical emergency: an Alternating High and Low siren lasting 60 seconds

Changes to our outdoor warning siren system were made with community and emergency official input to reflect the needs, preferences, and requests of our community and emergency management officials. Madison County will continue to use the current system for now, but will inform the community when the new system is fully operational and in use.

Outdoor warning sirens are one of the many alert and notification systems in Madison County provided by the CSEPP funding. Alert systems let residents know that an emergency is happening, while notification systems give residents more specific information. Outdoor alert sirens are an alert system meant to let residents who are outside know that an emergency is happening and that they should go inside immediately. Alerting receivers, Emergency Management social media pages, and Emergency Alerts over television, radio and mobile
devices are examples of notification systems that residents can check after being alerted to find more detailed information about the emergency.

Madison County EMA/CSEPP supports disaster preparedness, response and recovery through public education, alert and notification systems, and resource coordination. The office can be reached at 859-624-4787. More information can be found at www.madisoncountyky.us/ema or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages: @MadisonCoKyEMA.

For more information, please contact:

Madison County Emergency Management Agency
560 S. Keeneland Drive, Richmond, Kentucky 40475
Office: 859-624-4787

Published on August 23, 2023