COLUMBUS – Effective immediately: voice instructions directing citizens to seek shelter, normally broadcast during a Tornado Warning over the county’s emergency sirens, will no longer be used. Sheltering in place or evacuation voice messages are still in effect.
The Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEM&HS) agency has determined that people indoors place themselves in harms way by coming outside to listen to verbal messages, according to Director Gary L. Holland, who approved the policy change.
To further ensure the general public’s safety during severe weather, FCEM&HS, which has overall responsibility to operate and maintain the outdoor sirens, hopes to reduce confusion by sending one clear message, not subject to garbled and uncertain language or misinterpretation to seek shelter immediately.
Typically, the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a warning for the county and contacts the Columbus Fire Alarm Office (CFAO) which initially activates the sirens for three minutes. FCEM&HS then takes over the sequence as follows: sound alert for three minutes, then a brief voice announcement in each of four directions, which takes about five minutes, then silence for two minutes while the batteries recharge. The sequence is repeated.
Instead, the following will occur after the CFAO activates the sirens: FCEM&HS sounds alert for three minutes, silence for three minutes. This sequence is repeated until the NWS lifts the warning.
The sirens are designed for people who are outdoors. If residents hear them in their homes, it is due to their proximity to the siren, which has a one-mile radius. And with142 sirens and five awaiting installation or power connections, Franklin County has one of the largest and most effective networks in the entire state.
Warning Manager Art Baker knows the systems very well.
“The sirens are machines with batteries, speaker drivers, and other moving parts,” he said. “We test them every Wednesday, weather permitting. When they do malfunction, we repair them as soon as possible.”
The following are safety suggestions the public should understand and follow in a Tornado Emergency:
If outside, take shelter immediately. If caught outside, lie flat in a low lying area and make yourself as small as possible. Do not stop to watch a tornado.
If the weather is bad and the sirens sound, go to the innermost and lowest possible floor. Take cover under something sturdy. Stay away from auditoriums, cafeterias, elevators, gymnasiums, as well as mobile homes and automobiles.
It is also a good idea to assemble a survival kit with such items as water, a portable radio, batteries, flashlights, food, first aid kit, extra clothing, and blankets.
Although the sirens may stop sounding and the warning expires, it does not mean that the danger has passed. Heavy rains, hail, lightning, and high winds accompany most tornados. Stay inside until you hear on the radio or television that the severe weather has passed.
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