The City of Dunsmuir, the Dunsmuir Fire Department, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff have worked together to create a new Evacuation Siren Policy.
Every day, you hear the Noon Signal, a 5-second siren tone. And you probably even recognize the Fire Call Signal, a 5-second on, 5-second off tone that repeats 5 times when there is a Fire Call for the Fire Department. But did you know there is an Evacuation Signal?
When will the Evacuation Siren sound?
The Evacuation Siren will only sound when an Evacuation Order is issued for the City of Dunsmuir. The Siren will not sound for an Evacuation Warning.
Why is this? The Evacuation Siren is reserved for the most dire of situations. An Evacuation Warning means “There is a potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave now.” While an Evacuation Order means “Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access. YOU MUST LEAVE NOW!”
This is why an Evacuation Siren will only sound when an Evacuation Order is issued.
What will the Evacuation Siren sound like?
When an Evacuation Order is issued for Dunsmuir, the siren system will sound a 2-second on, 2-second off tone that repeats for 2 full minutes. This tone will sound faster than the fire call signal and last much longer; long enough for you to check Ready Siskiyou so you know where to go.
Why doesn’t the tone last longer than 2 minutes? The Evacuation Siren tone lasts just 2 minutes because it’s just long enough to alert you something is happening so you can check Ready Siskiyou. By the time you are reading the Evacuation Order, the siren will stop, and you’ll know what to do. A more prolonged Siren could make it difficult for first responders to communicate via radio.
More….
The City of Dunsmuir and the Dunsmuir Fire District are working to schedule a test of the Evacuation Siren this spring. More details to come.
For a full look at the Dunsmuir Evacuation Siren Policy, check out the new Dunsmuir Operational Procedures for Emergencies (DOPE) plan, located near the bottom of the Emergency Preparedness page (click here).