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The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services tested a new alarm system Tuesday morning that would alert residents and visitors if they need to evacuate during a fire.The outdoor audible alert sirens are set up in Groveland, Tuolumne, Twain Harte, Cold Springs and Strawberry. “Tuolumne County is a very rural county,” Dore Bietz, the assistant director of Tuolumne County OES, told KCRA 3. “We do have a large demographic that is elderly, that still rely on landlines, and so we are struggling with trying to find multiple ways to notify people in the event of an emergency. The siren system is one of those.” Many of the areas where the sirens are set up also have limited cell service and internet.At 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, the test happened with three rounds of the alarm. Officials said those in Tuolumne heard it the best. The alarm in that town is located at the fire station. Some glitches did happen in the other four areas, which is why emergency teams say these tests are important as they continue to roll out and perfect the new system.”When you have a siren going off in mountainous terrain it can kind of echo throughout the valley and it makes it more difficult, so we want to see where they can hear, and at that point, we can push out more information,” David Goldemberg, chair of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors, said.The county asks all those in areas where the sirens sounded, or were supposed to sound, to fill out this survey. Authorities will use that data to map out the reach of the sirens, where they worked, and where they need to be more audible. KCRA 3 was on the ground in Tuolumne for the tests and could hear it successfully blare throughout the community.”We were walking, and we had to stop and plug our ears,” resident Nick Rogers said. “It was just deafening.” Darryl Tinkle said he was grateful he could hear the alarm from inside his home, which is about two miles from the site of the siren.”It’s a matter of life and death,” he said. “There’s no two ways about it. I don’t have a cellphone.” County officials said they hope to have the new outdoor audible alert system ready for this summer’s wildfire season.
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif. —
The Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services tested a new alarm system Tuesday morning that would alert residents and visitors if they need to evacuate during a fire.
The outdoor audible alert sirens are set up in Groveland, Tuolumne, Twain Harte, Cold Springs and Strawberry.
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“Tuolumne County is a very rural county,” Dore Bietz, the assistant director of Tuolumne County OES, told KCRA 3. “We do have a large demographic that is elderly, that still rely on landlines, and so we are struggling with trying to find multiple ways to notify people in the event of an emergency. The siren system is one of those.”
Many of the areas where the sirens are set up also have limited cell service and internet.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, the test happened with three rounds of the alarm.
Officials said those in Tuolumne heard it the best. The alarm in that town is located at the fire station. Some glitches did happen in the other four areas, which is why emergency teams say these tests are important as they continue to roll out and perfect the new system.
“When you have a siren going off in mountainous terrain it can kind of echo throughout the valley and it makes it more difficult, so we want to see where they can hear, and at that point, we can push out more information,” David Goldemberg, chair of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors, said.
The county asks all those in areas where the sirens sounded, or were supposed to sound, to fill out this survey. Authorities will use that data to map out the reach of the sirens, where they worked, and where they need to be more audible.
KCRA 3 was on the ground in Tuolumne for the tests and could hear it successfully blare throughout the community.
“We were walking, and we had to stop and plug our ears,” resident Nick Rogers said. “It was just deafening.”
Darryl Tinkle said he was grateful he could hear the alarm from inside his home, which is about two miles from the site of the siren.
“It’s a matter of life and death,” he said. “There’s no two ways about it. I don’t have a cellphone.”
County officials said they hope to have the new outdoor audible alert system ready for this summer’s wildfire season.
(source)