FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                      28 APRIL 2017

Tim Barfield                                                       Mike Wetherbee                                              Dave Knapp                        

Chief of Police                                                  Chief of Fire                                                       Director

Village of Wellington                                     Wellington Fire District                                 South Lorain County Ambulance Dist.
440-647-2244                                                     440-647-2245                                                     440-647-5803
tbarfield@villageofwellington.com       wfdwetherbee@ncwcom.com                 dknappslcad@ncwcom.com

Village of Wellington Installs New Tornado Sirens

Wellington, Ohio. The Village of Wellington is pleased to announce the installation of a new outdoor warning siren system.  The system will utilize four warning sirens, located strategically throughout the community. Each siren will be equipped to function even through a power failure, either by generator backup or battery backup.

The new system will consist of three new warning sirens and will also utilize the existing siren located at the Village Hall. The sirens will provide two distinct warning tones / activation patterns to distinguish between differing emergency situations. In the event of a severe weather event, such as a tornado, the “attack” signal or classic “air raid” alert tone will be broadcast. The sirens will sound an alternating on/off pattern for three minutes – this indicates approaching severe weather. In such a situation, citizens are advised to seek shelter immediately, implement their weather emergency plan and access local or regional media for updates.  The sirens will not sound an all-clear signal when the dangerous weather has passed. Therefore, citizens are advised to continue monitoring local and regional media to monitor the storm’s location and intensity.

In the event of a non-weather related emergency, the sirens will utilize a continuous alert tone.  This non-stop siren tone indicates that citizens should shelter in place, access local or regional media for detailed information regarding the situation and await further instructions. 

In the event of siren system activation, citizens should not call 911 or attempt to contact the Wellington Police Department, Wellington Fire Department or Wellington EMS, unless you are in need of immediate emergency assistance. Furthermore, residents are reminded that the sirens are outdoor warning sirens and are not necessarily designed to be heard indoors. 

The siren system is an initial warning, alerting you to seek more information through local and regional media, weather apps. Additionally, all of Lorain County is a subscriber to the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) and that system will also be used to communicate emergency information in conjunction with the warning siren system.  If you have not subscribed to the service you may do so at the below web address or by contacting Wellington Fire District or Wellington Police:   https://entry.inspironlogistics.com/lorain_oh/wens.cfm

The sirens will be tested every first Saturday of the month at 12 p.m.  Testing will begin with the annual statewide tornado drill in March and then will occur every first Saturday through October.  In the case of inclement weather on the first Saturday of a month, the siren will not sound so as not to cause undue concern to residents.

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