The Linn County Board of Supervisors approved a contract to purchase six additional outdoor warning sirens for rural areas of Linn County that will provide coverage for several areas, including some campgrounds. The areas covered by the sirens include approximately 11,000 properties and 2,100 residents. Installation is scheduled to begin Oct. 13, 2014 and be complete by Oct. 31, 2014.
The sirens will be installed at the following locations:
1) Horseshoe Falls Road in Pinicon Ridge Park west of Central City
2) near the intersection of Troy Mills Road and Shore Lane south of Troy Mills
3) along Wapsi Ridge Drive near Hitaga Sand Ridge Prairie Preserve
4) near the intersection of County Road W54 and Walford Road north of Western
5) along Whittier Road north of Whittier
6) near the intersection of Stone Road and Highway 151 west of Springville
“Outdoor warning sirens are used to warn citizens who are outdoors of potentially hazardous conditions and to alert them to immediately seek shelter and additional information about the warning. The sirens are for situational awareness and are not necessarily weather-related,” said Mike Goldberg, director of the Linn County Emergency Management Agency. “People who are already indoors may hear the sirens and should also seek additional information, but the sirens are not intended to be heard indoors.”
The total cost of the six sirens and the installation is $146,717. Linn County received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division to fund the sirens. The cost will be shared by FEMA, the State of Iowa, and Linn County. Linn County’s portion, which is $22,007, will be paid from the county’s rural services levy.
The six new sirens will be activated using the same technology as the Duane Arnold Energy Center outdoor warning sirens and are of similar size and design. The sirens are rated to be audible at 70 decibels at 5,200 feet, which means each siren should be heard by individuals within approximately one mile of the siren at the time it sounds.
“One of our primary responsibilities as a government is to protect the health and safety of our citizens,” said Linn County Supervisor John Harris. “This is a welcome addition to the safety of Linn County citizens.” Harris’s district encompasses the majority of the area covered by the new sirens.