Sirens for Wiley and Hartman Communities Installed

Installation Underway for Wiley Siren

Siren warning systems are starting to go hi-tech around portions of Prowers County.  Sirens were recently installed in Wiley and Hartman which can be radio or wireless activated using a new transmitter purchased with funding from Homeland Security.  According to Prowers Rural Fire Chief, Staffon Warn, the sirens can be activated using a mounted vehicle radio or hand-held radio anywhere from within Prowers County.  Similar sirens were installed two years ago in Bristol and Granada, and upgrades are planned for Kornman and the Alta Vista School area, as well as South Memorial Drive, near the VFW building in Lamar. 

Siren is Located in the Center of Wiley

Lamar has had seven sirens to sound weather alert and emergency events.  They will be retrofitted with the wireless activation devices and added onto the county-wide system, according to Warn.  The sirens are also backed up with a system that allows each agency to activate each other’s sirens in the event of unanticipated circumstances, but most generally, the communications center will activate the system.  One siren can be activated in a specific community or they may be grouped to the east end of Prowers County for Granada, Bristol and Hartman, or the west end for Lamar, Wiley, Kornman and Alta Vista.  Local governments can activate the sirens when they see fit.   

Hartman Siren is Ready to Go

Other notification systems in the county include the NOAA weather radio alerts and the newer Code Red communications system that provides direct call alerts to those who signed up for the information.  Once completed, the equipment for the county-wide system will cost $110,000. 

As an on-going practice, the sirens in Lamar have sounded for one minute test at noon on the first Monday of each month, and the newly installed sirens will also be activated.  In the event of an actual emergency, the sirens will provide a steady warning tone for three minutes.  At that time, residents should access radio or television for important information.

By Russ Baldwin