Severe weather warning system up and running

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

HASTON

The sound for McMinnville’s new severe weather warning system was tested for the first time Friday and was working fine, officials said after the first large scale sound check last month failed.

During testing May 6, officials quickly realized an old transmitter was not compatible with new siren technology, which cost around $85,000.

“When we put in these new sirens, it was quite a leap forward technology-wise from what we had before and we tried to use that same transmitter rather than spend the money to buy a new one,” Mayor Royce Davenport said of the problem discovered during the test.

“Only when it failed did we realize that transmitter wasn’t capable of producing an accurate enough transmission on the frequency to work with the new sirens.”

Even though the sirens were not been sounded for a large-scale test until Friday, officials have assured the system has been working properly. An alternative and temporary method of transmission was used initially, officials said, and a new transmitter was ordered immediately and installed.

“There is a way to test it without setting the siren off,” 911 Director Chuck Haston said, noting past silent tests were successful. “We can make sure that it’s turning and we know that way that it’s getting the signal and has electrical power.”

The siren system, which is to be sounded for severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, is comprised of four tone-only sirens and two combination sirens with voice capabilities. The voice-capable sirens have been placed at the Civic Center and at Riverfront Park, while the other four tone-only sirens have been strategically placed downtown, off Morrison Highway, at Belmont Drive and at the water plant.

Davenport also ensured the siren has been working.

“They set the signal and it will rotate, so you know it’s getting the signal. You can do that without the siren going off,” he said.

However, Friday’s test was important.

“We want people to know what it sounds like,” Davenport said before the test.

Haston said the 911 Center plans to test the siren the first Friday of every month at noon if there is no threat of severe weather.

He also noted officials did not want to cause undue alarm by testing with sound between last month and this month.

“Any kind of off-schedule testing, people hear that and they panic,” he said. “They’ll hear the test the first Friday of every month at noon. There is routine testing for two reasons – to make sure it works right and to get people used to hearing it.”