Natrona County will get new warning sirens

by Carol Crump
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 6:19 PM MDT

In March of 1943, the Natrona County Civilian Defense Corps presented a $3,165 budget request to the County Commission.

That wish list, currently framed and hung on the wall of Natrona County Emergency Management Coordinator Lt. Stew Anderson's office, included a wartime request for 3-5 air raid sirens at a cost of $600-$1,000 each.

At the time, the commissioners chose not to fund the CDC's sirens. Subsequent commissions followed suit.

By the time he started asking for a countywide alarm system about 19 years ago, Anderson said the consensus seemed to be, "We never needed them before. Why now?"

The law enforcement and emergency management veteran said the severe weather in the last several years may have helped change some minds.

Heavy rains have flooded the Poison Spider area and the Glendale drainage, lightning caused the Jackson Canyon fire and a tornado skipped through Bar Nunn and Casper.

"We would have set off all the warnings last year," he said.

This year, the County will begin installing a 36-siren, all-hazard grid.

The money came from One Percent Optional Sales funds, with part allocated by the One Cent Committee and the remainder kicked in from the County's share of the fifth-cent tax.

The new $784,655 system will build on a three-signal system that Anadarko Petroleum already bought and installed in Midwest-Edgerton.

The oil company wanted to install a community warning system for possible hydrogen-sulfide leaks.

Anderson said company representatives worked with him to install that same system that would work across the entire county.

"It's a great partnership," he said.

Many uses for the sirens

The pole-mounted, solar battery-operated system includes an omni-directional siren that can be radio activated for sound and voice. Anderson said the system is responsive for all hazards, including weather, chemical spills or accidents, and natural disasters like floods or fires.

The sirens will alternate various sounds with 15-20 second directional messages. The sirens' speakers also can be used as a public address system for more specific information.

"We can go live in an impacted area" to provide safety information, locations for first aid and shelter, he said.

The seven-foot-tall, six-speaker structure that sits atop a pole Anderson said is about 50 feet tall. Each device is self-contained and alarmed to avoid tampering.

Anderson admitted the structures, which shouldn't in total be taller than 60 feet, will be "ugly," although he believes the linear design is more aesthetically pleasing than some of the trumpet-shaped sirens on the market.

"After a while, you won't notice," he said.

Sites, variances and zoning for the hazard warning system still are being worked out through the Natrona County attorney. Anderson said ideal locations will cover both the most density of population and geographic area and reach up to 85-90 percent of the population.

The system is designed for some overlap of area.

Anderson said the sirens won't be used for winter storms or high winds, even along Wyoming Boulevard, unless a weather system that could include a tornado or thunderstorm-caused flood is part of the forecast.

The system will not be used for Amber Alerts, since Anderson said that is not the best use of a system focused on hazards.

To satisfy Homeland Security requirements, the system will have a specific tone and instruction to warn of terrorist attacks.

The system also will be tested monthly, with a specific signal and a "this is a test" message.

"It's not the answer to all warning systems," he said. "Every piece catches a piece of public, not just radio, television or emergency alert. It's a big chunk of the puzzle that's been missing."

The ideal locations for the sirens will be high up, not in neighborhoods or alleys, and some could be co-located on the sites of the community's water towers.

Some roadsides along private property in the county's rural areas of Antelope Hills, Brookhurst and Red Buttes also will be used to help provide countywide coverage.

"Voice doesn't carry as far as sound, so the crux is, if you hear that (siren), turn on your radio or TV to find out what to do," Anderson said.

"If electricity is off, we're still pushing for weather radios and battery operated AM-FM radios."

For more information, contact Natrona County Emergency Management at 235-9205.

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