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County hosts storm siren demo
Bruce Fisher with Blue Valley Public Safety Inc. was at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds Wednesday to host a demonstration of a new storm siren. The siren demonstrated is produced by Federal Warning Systems and features live voice capabilities, Fisher said. This capability allows a microphone to be connected to the siren so it may be used to make announcements.
"It is a big public address system," Fisher said.
Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers said the sirens with the voice capabilities would be beneficial at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds because that area is not sufficiently covered and it can be used to alert individuals attending events such as Pioneer Harvest Fiesta and the Bourbon County Fair.
"It's vital; there is no way to tell them to get inside without a siren," Jeffers said.
In addition to the voice capabilities, the siren can also store up to 480 minutes worth of recorded voice messages to be used in the case of emergencies. Fisher said the county can write messages and send them to the manufacturer who will record the message then send a chip to be inserted into the siren.
Jeffers said he is planning on installing 27 new sirens in the county within the next 3-5 years. The county currently is looking at strategic locations in the county to maximize coverage areas, he added, with priority being based on population. Once the new sirens have been installed, existing sirens will then be replaced.
"We're going to go to the areas that need more warning," Jeffers said.
With each siren costing $15,000-20,000, the county will be looking for funding assistance. Jeffers said once the county finishes it Hazard Mitigation Plan in March 2010, the county will be eligible for FEMA grants to cover a portion of the cost.