Within a year, Broken Arrow’s outdoor warning siren system will include 10 more sirens featuring new technology.
City councilors approved the purchase of 21 new sirens that can be heard from any direction with a 6,100-foot estimated range and that will have solar-powered recharging systems.
A FEMA program grant totaling $387,734.13 will help fund the new technology, according to a news release from the city.
Broken Arrow’s emergency management director called the grant “a great opportunity to improve our system.”
“It was made possible through our community partners coming together and supporting our local hazard mitigation planning efforts,” Jamie Ott said in the release.
On Oct. 18, the City Council awarded the project to SafetyCom Inc. The remainder of the total project cost, bid at $901,508.55, will come from voter-approved 2018 general obligation bond funding.
People are also reading…
More than five dozen sirens are already part of the city’s outdoor warning system, which is tested at noon on the first Wednesday of each month from March to October when the skies are clear.
The grant requires the installation of 10 new sirens by Sept. 28, 2023.
Featured video:
Experts say the impacts of climate change are supercharging storms, leading to more intense rainfall opportunities and flooding.
