Arlington Hts., Palatine and Prospect Hts. get false siren

An emergency warning siren that went off unexpectedly by mistake in several Northwest suburbs midafternoon Monday sparked concern and fear among some residents.

Nino Cuttone, said after 35 years of living in Arlington Heights, he is used to Tuesday morning tests, but the midafternoon blast left his family wondering if they should take shelter and whether there was some kind of terrorist attack. That reaction may be a preview of what’s in store for the entire region at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, when the first nationwide test of the emergency warning system will occur.

As for Monday’s warning, the Northwest Central Dispatch System is investigating exactly why the siren went off in Arlington Heights, Palatine and Prospect Heights, said Cindy Barbera-Brelle, executive director of the system.

Palatine officials were doing maintenance on their system and asked the Northwest Central staff to send out a “cancel” signal that for some reason set off the siren, she said. “I’m not sure if it was something mechanical on their end or if we did something,” she said.

Because Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights are also on that frequency, the siren sounded in all three communities, she said. Once a siren starts there is no way to stop it, she said.

Arlington Heights Village Manager Bill Dixon said the village received phone inquiries from residents for 15 minutes and the village later sent out a message to inform residents and subscribers that there had been no emergency in the village.