Monday’s siren test will sound different. But don’t worry, it isn’t a real air raid
The threat of enemy air raids targeting Wichita isn’t exactly something that keeps most people up at night. But officials say that’s no excuse not to be prepared.
At noon on Monday, Sedgwick County Emergency Management will test its siren system’s “attack” function for the first time since 2015.
The siren’s wail will rise and fall as opposed to the steady tone of the “alert” mode used to warn of tornadoes in the area — a function the county tests weekly on its 152 sirens.
Jonathan Marr, deputy director of emergency management, said Wichita has the four oldest Thunderbolt sirens in the U.S., installed in 1952 after then-President Harry Truman signed the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950.
“Their original intent was for enemy attack and air raids. But for lack of enemy attacks and air raids, they were repurposed for tornado warnings,” Marr told the Sedgwick County Commission last week.
The city’s first siren was installed on top of the Roosevelt School, which still stands as part of East High School. The first use of a siren in Wichita to warn of a tornado happened at Greenwich and Waterman on June 11, 1958.
Marr said the timing of Monday’s attack mode test has nothing to do with “geopolitical factors that are happening in Europe or elsewhere.”
“It’s a function within our outdoor warning system that we don’t use very often, but we need to verify that it works every once in a while,” he said.
The test will last between three and five minutes, and a team of 20 some volunteers will observe and collect data at various siren sites.
“Even with all the technology we have available to us, the best method for us to know if a siren works is if we have a human observer,” Marr said.
He said whenever the warning sounds outside of routine testing, residents should take the same steps whether they hear the alert or attack sirens — seek shelter and get more information from trusted sources.
