Dearborn to Add Three More Outdoor Emergency Sirens

The city of Dearborn is looking to add three more emergency sirens around town thanks to a $43,763 U.S. Homeland Security grant.

Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. announced plans to install the three sirens at the Henry Ford Museum, Ford Field and King Boring Field.

"These sirens will add to our ability to reach more people quickly if we need to," O'Reilly said in a briefing session Tuesday with members of the city council.


Dearborn Emergency Manager Brad Smith said the project is part of the third phase of a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant the city applied for in fiscal year 2010. The three new sirens will add to the compliment of the 16 sirens already installed. In addition, the sirens will provide voice-over ability to warn residents of natural or man-made disasters.

"The voice-over function is good to have in areas with large crowds, such as for athletic events, " Smith said. "If we need to tell folks to stay indoors due to a chemical spill for example, we can activate the sirens."

Smith said the city will be reimbursed after the siren installation, which is expected to be completed in the fall pending approval from Wayne County and the Dearborn City Council. The city's local match is $14,587.

The city previously installed four additional sirens in 2010, and is also serviced by four sirens operated by the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Smith said that all of the sirens will be operated by the Dearborn Police Department's central dispatch and will also be connected to Wayne County's Emergency Management Department. The sirens sound when a tornado warning is issued, or if there’s an alert for a severe thunderstorm warning with 70 mile an hour winds or greater.

The sirens are tested at 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.