PALOS PARK, IL — The Village of Palos Park will be performing siren maintenance and upgrades Monday, March 18, to its emergency warning system.
No impact on emergency services or notifications is expected while the maintenance is taking place. Backup systems are built into the equipment to ensure that the warning system continues to function in the event of an outage.
There will be some audible testing after each siren has been serviced that may be discernible to people outdoors. Technicians will briefly activate or “burp” the siren. So if you see people freaking out Monday on social media, remind them that it’s only a test.
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Periodic inspections are required to review system performance, along with a siren service plan that includes a full inspection of all of its components. Monthly siren tests are conducted at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of every month to ensure that all sirens in the Chicago region are functioning.
Palos Park uses an up-and-down, rising and falling tone to signify an emergency alert. This signal may be used to alert residents to police and fire emergencies, road closures, weather emergencies such as a severe storm or tornado warning (not a tornado watch) or other event, like an air attack.
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Some municipal emergency warning systems include voice capabilities that can relay warning messages in four different languages: English, Spanish, Polish and Arabic, in addition to the rising and falling tone.
The emergency warning siren systems are designed to be heard OUTDOORS by people who may be outside during an actual severe weather emergency, such as a ball game. The sirens are not meant to be relied on as a warning to residents who are indoors.
Palos Park police advise residents to have multiple ways of receiving warnings during extreme weather, including an NOAA weather radio, wireless emergency and weather apps, local radio/TV, or internet sites, such as weather.gov.
Aside from the monthly test of the system on the first Tuesday of each month, or advance notification of maintenance, if you hear a siren, seek shelter immediately in a safe space.
Also, in 2023, the village switched over to Smart911, a public safety notification service that is used by 45 million Americans across 40 states. All residents are encouraged to create an emergency safety profile for their household or business at Smart911, or through the Smart911 app available on the Apple Store or Google Play.
Smart911 allows users to get safety, traffic, weather alerts and even community events via text, phone or email. The notification system can be linked to home and work addresses, which can be used for a more detailed profile and faster response.
Users are also encouraged to pre-fill emergency information, such as names, vehicles, addresses, pets, household members with special needs, etc., which pops up whenever a call is placed to 911, reducing the time it takes to get first responders the information they need.
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