Additional Outdoor Warning Siren Tests Scheduled for March and April

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Eagan Police Department.

Eagan residents may hear the familiar sound of the city’s outdoor warning sirens at unfamiliar times during the remainder of March and into April.

The city’s 12 sirens will be receiving upgraded radio technology and as the work is completed individual sirens will be activated to verify the upgrade. These individual tests will last up to 30 seconds each. The work on the city’s sirens should be completed prior to a planned statewide tornado drills scheduled for April 19, 2012. This date falls within Minnesota’s annual Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Upgrading of the radio technology is in accordance with new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules which go into effect in 2013. The upgrade is intended to improve performance of the sirens by providing a faster, more secure, and redundant activation system throughout Dakota County.

Outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn people outdoors to seek shelter and gather additional information through television or radio. The city encourages all residents to use NOAA weather radios for receiving warnings while inside their homes. In addition to the sirens and weather radios there are several commercial warning resources available for mobile devices. It’s always a good practice to use multiple warning resources rather than relying on a single source.

The city’s outdoor warning sirens are tested at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month.