Elgin panel OKs two more warning sirens

Some residents in Elgin will begin hearing the occasional loud - though arguably familiar - sound of warning sirens in the near future.

The Elgin City Council's committee of the whole unanimously voted Wednesday in favor of the $113,000 plan proposed by the fire department. The plan, approved by council members without discussion, includes two new sirens - bringing the total number in the city to 27 - plus the upgrading of four existing sirens.

One new siren will be installed in the Bowes Creek subdivision, by the southwest edge of the Bowes Creek Golf Course, to provide better coverage for the southeast end of the Bowes, Stonebrook and Cedar Grove subdivisions, city officials said.

The other siren will be installed at the Slade Avenue pumping station to provide better coverage for near northeast neighborhoods and parts of the Willow Lakes Estates subdivision. The sirens are placed on top of utility poles.

The warning sirens to be upgraded are located near Illinois Park School at Wing Street and McLean boulevards, near the Metra station at Big Timber and Lyle Avenue, near Lilac and Mulberry lanes by Cornerstone Park, and by Hiawatha Drive and Summit Street by the baseball field, Assistant Fire Chief Tim Maroder said.

The city council is expected to cast final approval at its next meeting. Installation will take place "weather permitting," Fire Chief John Fahy said.

There is no law obligating communities to have warning sirens, but communities are required to have comprehensive emergency action plans, Maroder said.

"Within that plan, you have to have some way of notifying the public," he said. "In Elgin, one of our notifications is warning sirens."

The need for better coverage in Elgin was initially identified in 2009, city officials said.

There are gaps in the sirens' coverage areas, which means that in those areas the sound can get drowned out by ambient noises such as kids playing soccer, Maroder said.

The fire department conducts sound tests of its sirens on the first Tuesday of the month from March through December, Maroder said. In January and February, only diagnostic tests are run because sound tests, which include rotating parts, could cause damage if there is ice buildup, he said.

Warning sirens are sounded for tornadoes - in the form of a steady wail - or emergencies such as terrorist attacks - in the form of an intermittent tone - to indicate that anyone outdoors should seek shelter indoors, Maroder said.

The warning sirens expense was budgeted for 2014 and will be funded by the city's share of Grand Victoria Casino revenues, Maroder said.