The City of Kettering owns and operates 9 disaster sirens located throughout the city which are activated by Public Safety Dispatchers. These sirens emit two types of warnings, constant and Hi-Lo tones. The constant or non-oscillating tone is used for disaster (i.e. tornado warning) and the Hi-Lo tone for civil defense issues.
When the sirens are activated, you should
• Seek shelter immediately in an interior room or basement
• Tune to radio or TV broadcast for further information
Before disaster strikes
• Have a family emergency plan in place
• As part of your emergency plan, consider purchasing a NOAA Weather Alert Radio
Sirens are tested 12:00 PM the first Monday of every month except:
• Labor Day
• During Holiday at Home Festivities
• In Administration’s judgment, impending severe weather at test time causes undo panic. If Administration elects to abort the test, it will not be performed until the next scheduled time.
How long is the test?
There are two test durations, 90 seconds and 3 minutes. The 3 minute tests are electronically terminated by the system and are in:
• January
• April
• July
• October
All other months are the 90 second test and are terminated manually by the Fire Dispatcher. Occasionally, the Fire Dispatcher is busy with emergency activity and cannot cancel the test exactly at the 90 second mark.
When are the sirens activated?
The sirens are activated whenever the National Weather Service issues a “Tornado Warning” for Montgomery County Ohio.
Will you activate them again for the “All Clear”?
No, it is assumed that you will tune into local emergency broadcasts for further information. During an emergency of long duration (i.e. long storm), they may be activated more than once.
When I am indoors, the sirens do not seem loud enough, can you turn them up?
No. The siren warning system was originally designed to notify people outdoors of impending danger in order to seek shelter.
The siren near my house is very loud, can you turn it down?
No. Each siren covers a specific area; if you live close to one it will be louder to you than someone farther away. If we turn them down, citizens that live farther away may not hear.
Fire HQ | 4745 Hempstead Station Drive | Kettering, Ohio 45429 | 937-296-2489
