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Outdoor Warning Sirens
The Village of Romeoville and the Romeoville Emergency Management Agency currently operate and maintain 19 warning sirens in the village area. We also operate and maintain sirens in the unincorporated areas of the West and South areas of the community Although these sirens are typically utilized during severe weather events, they are also capable of being activated during other major emergencies to alert the public to possible or imminent threatening conditions. Some of the situations where the sirens may be activated would include the confirmed sighting of a funnel cloud or tornado; a major incident involving evacuation such as a Hazardous Material incident, or terrorism type incident.
There is a specialized additional warning siren at the Village Hall / Recreation Center that provides voice announcements as well as standard warning siren sounds. This siren can be used to direct participants at large scale events to evacuate or take cover in anticipation of events that may affect the park area.
Many times people say they did not hear a siren in their house or inside a building they may be in. The primary purpose of a warning siren is to alert those people that may be working outdoors or away from a building, and may not have immediate access to other warning devices such as a television or radio. Although sirens may be heard within a respective structure or building (depending on the construction of the building, distance from the siren, and wind direction) the expectation is those people inside a building will primarily receive their warning and updates through the use of a radio, television, or other weather alerting devices.
Siren Testing
Warning sirens are always tested at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month (unless the possibility of threatening weather is already present). The typical alerting evolution lasts about 3 minutes. If there is a Tornado warning issued the sirens will activate for 4 minutes for each cycle. If the sirens are activated more than one time, this does not indicate that the weather is all-clear. A second activation means that the weather threat is continuing or worsening.
There is no "all clear" signal that will be issued through the warning siren system. Updates and additional weather information must be obtained from the use of a radio, television, or other weather alerting devices.
"What do I do when I hear the warning siren?". Typically public safety officials witness people do the two things you should absolutely not do when a warning siren activates:
When the warning sirens are activated, people should immediately turn either their radio/television or weather alerting radio to the designated emergency broadcast channel. If possible take the radio with you and seek shelter in a basement or other secure are of the building you are in. Listen to the instructions on the radio. Only call 911 if you have emergency information to pass along to emergency responders, such as the sighting, direction/movement or any damage/injuries associated with a tornado or funnel cloud, or other similar information.
All Clear Signals
Lastly, you should know that an "all clear" signal will not be transmitted by the warning sirens. You should listen to the radio/television to get this information.
Contact for Questions
If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the warning sirens in Romeoville, you may contact Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Littrell at his office 815-886-4085.
Many times people say they did not hear a siren in their house or inside a building they may be in. The primary purpose of a warning siren is to alert those people that may be working outdoors or away from a building, and may not have immediate access to other warning devices such as a television or radio. Although sirens may be heard within a respective structure or building (depending on the construction of the building, distance from the siren, and wind direction) the expectation is those people inside a building will primarily receive their warning and updates through the use of a radio, television, or other weather alerting devices.
Siren Testing
Warning sirens are always tested at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month (unless the possibility of threatening weather is already present). The typical alerting evolution lasts about 3 minutes. If there is a Tornado warning issued the sirens will activate for 4 minutes for each cycle. If the sirens are activated more than one time, this does not indicate that the weather is all-clear. A second activation means that the weather threat is continuing or worsening.
There is no "all clear" signal that will be issued through the warning siren system. Updates and additional weather information must be obtained from the use of a radio, television, or other weather alerting devices.
"What do I do when I hear the warning siren?". Typically public safety officials witness people do the two things you should absolutely not do when a warning siren activates:
- Do not go outside to look at the sky for threatening weather
- Do not call 911 to see ask why the sirens have been activated.
When the warning sirens are activated, people should immediately turn either their radio/television or weather alerting radio to the designated emergency broadcast channel. If possible take the radio with you and seek shelter in a basement or other secure are of the building you are in. Listen to the instructions on the radio. Only call 911 if you have emergency information to pass along to emergency responders, such as the sighting, direction/movement or any damage/injuries associated with a tornado or funnel cloud, or other similar information.
All Clear Signals
Lastly, you should know that an "all clear" signal will not be transmitted by the warning sirens. You should listen to the radio/television to get this information.
Contact for Questions
If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the warning sirens in Romeoville, you may contact Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Littrell at his office 815-886-4085.
