Well Worth The Cost

For many years the City of Monroe City relied on the old ‘whistle’ to alert its citizens of dangerous weather. Several years ago the City Council properly recognized that the whistle (which is actually an old air raid siren) wasn’t adequate. They purchased additional sirens that were placed around town. These sirens were made to be heard outdoors only and were mismatched (different manufacturers and frequencies). These sirens were better than what we had, but recent events have proven to me that it is time to purchase new storm warning sirens…and this time do it right.
Today we tested a new siren in Monroe City. At 1:15 we sounded the current system and at 1:30 the demo siren was sounded from the Fire Department parking lot. Keep in mind, we only sounded one demo siren from the middle of town. The demo siren is part of a proposed system that would place sirens throughout town. These sirens rotate so the alert will come and go as the siren faces your direction. Additionally, the demo siren was only 25 feet in the air, while the proposed system has sirens 50 – 60 feet high.
If you were located anywhere near one of the current sirens, it certainly would have sounded louder to you. I was standing directly next to a current siren and the demo unit…I not only heard the difference, but I could actually feel the demo siren.
The proposed storm warning system comes with a price tag of $75,000…well worth the cost if it saves just one life. But if it is still unable to be heard by families who are sleeping in their homes then it’s no better than what we currently have. No matter what, we have to make a switch. Our current sirens would have to be upgraded to narrow-band width technology if we kept them and they don’t currently have battery back-up (which means if the power goes out before they are sounded, they won’t work without electricity).
If you heard the demo siren today, please provide feedback. If you feel that we need to keep looking at other options, that feedback is welcome too.
Sincerely,

Neal R. Minor
Mayor, Monroe City, MO