Allegan County Emergency Management (ACEM) urges residents to stay informed and prepared by:
- Monitoring local news and weather updates.
- Having multiple communication channels, such as NOAA Weather Radio and mobile alert apps, to receive emergency notifications.
While ACCD and ACEM will continue to explore reasonable options to maintain the central activation of sirens, we are also pursuing a more modern mass notification system that will provide information to residents regarding emergencies.
Siren Background:
Sirens within Allegan County are owned by each participating local unit. Since the Civil Defense era, sirens have existed in Allegan County to alert residents of a nuclear threat. As years passed, the nuclear threat in the United States decreased, and these sirens became the primary notification for volunteer firefighters. Today, jurisdictions in Allegan County utilize an 800mhz paging system as a primary form of notification for volunteer firefighters. The sirens are used primarily for weather-related events and can be activated manually by local units of government (or designees) or remotely by Allegan County Central Dispatch (ACCD).
ACCD has historically agreed to activate the sirens utilizing the existing VHF system, which was replaced by an 800mhz system in 2017. Allegan County has made every attempt to maintain the old VHF system for siren activation. Due to a recently identified issue within the VHF system, remote activation from Central Dispatch can no longer be guaranteed; however, several local units may activate their sirens directly. Due to the issue’s complexity, a definitive timeline for fully restoring the VHF system is currently unavailable.
Approximately 30% of the County’s population is within range of a siren, leaving a need for other notification methods even when sirens are fully operational. The outdoor warning system aims to alert people to seek shelter and access news sources for information. The sirens are designed to be heard outdoors only and do not provide specific details.