Plainfield Emergency Management Agency

Outdoor Warning Sirens

The Village of Plainfield and the Plainfield Emergency Management Agency currently maintain and operate 14 warning sirens within the village limits. Although these sirens are typically utilized during severe weather events, they are also capable of being activated during other major emergencies to alert the public to possible or imminent threatening conditions. Some of the situations where the sirens may be activated would include the confirmed sighting of a funnel cloud or tornado; a major incident involving evacuation such as a Hazardous Material incident, or terrorism type incident.

Many times people say they did not hear a siren in their house or inside a building they may be in. The primary purpose of a warning siren is to alert those people that may be working outdoors or away from a building, and may not have immediate access to other warning devices such as a television or radio. Although sirens may be heard within a respective structure or building (depending on the construction of the building, distance from the siren, and wind direction) the belief is those people inside a building will primarily receive their warning and updates through the use of a radio, television, or other weather alerting devices.

Warning sirens are always tested at 10:00am on the first Tuesday of each month (unless the possibility of threatening weather is already present). The sirens may be activated in several ways. The basic principle behind the operation of the warning sirens involves the use of radio frequencies. Normally the sirens are activated at a central or alternate activation point by entering a predetermined code. The code in turn sends out a radio frequency, which travels to the various receiver sights (warning sirens). Once the site receives the code and determines it is the activation code the siren will begin to sound. The typical alerting evolution lasts between 3 and 5 minutes.

Another question normally asked about warning sirens is; "What do I do when I hear the warning siren?". Typically public safety officials witness people do the two things you should absolutely not do when a warning siren activates:

DO NOT go outside and look to the sky for threatening weather
DO NOT call 911 to see why the sirens are activated.

When the warning sirens are activated, people should immediately turn either their radio/television or weather alerting radio to the designated emergency broadcast channel. If possible take the radio with you and seek shelter in a basement or other secure are of the building you are in. Listen to the instructions on the radio. Only call 911 if you have emergency information to pass along to emergency responders, such as the sighting, direction/movement or any damage/injuries associated with a tornado or funnel cloud, or other similar information.

Lastly, you should know that an "All Clear" signal will NOT be transmitted by the warning sirens. You should listen to the radio/television to get this information.

If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the warning sirens in Plainfield, you may contact Assistant Coordinator John Konopek at his office (815) 439-4803.