The Village of Wellington is pleased to announce the improvement of our outdoor warning siren system. The improvements were made in conjunction with the Village of Wellington, Wellington Fire District, South Lorain County Ambulance and Lorain County 911. The improvements should restore the confidence of our residents in our warning system by insuring that no accidental warning sirens occur in the future. The system utilizes four warning sirens, located strategically throughout the community. Each siren is equipped to function even through a power failure, either by generator backup or battery backup.
The system consists of three newer warning sirens and also utilizes the previously existing siren located at the Town 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.
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 this web address: Lorain County Emergency Alert Registration.
If you are unable to connect to sign up for WENS or need assistance, please contact Wellington Police, Fire or EMS for assistance.
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 on a month, the siren will not sound so as not to cause undue concern to residents.