In times of crisis, the city of Beverly Hills sends out push notifications via voice message, SMS/text message, email and more to alert residents about a potential safety hazard or concern. At its April 20 Regular Meeting, the City Council advised staff to move forward with plans to establish an additional emergency notification system: a citywide outdoor warning siren (OWS). The sirens would be placed strategically around the city to ensure maximum coverage if activated, and add another layer of emergency notification redundancy, especially for those who are outdoors. At the meeting, staff presented a siren feasibility report, which estimated a total of 12 pole mounted sirens would be required to reach all residents. The intent of the system is to provide mass warning in the event of natural and manmade disasters, including wildfires, earthquakes, floods, civil disturbance, crowd control and more.
“Last night at our City Council meeting, we agreed to move forward with designs for a new outdoor siren-warning system for the City,” Mayor Robert Wunderlich, who also served on the project’s Ad-Hoc Committee, told the Courier. “The system will add a resilient means of communication to provide support in the event of a major emergency such as fire, flood, or other hazard. The sirens align with the mission of our new ‘Just in Case’ program to enhance communication throughout the city during an emergency with timely alerts and instructions.”
