🚀 go-pugleaf

Peter Laws (plaws@BABO.UARK.EDU) wrote:
: Help me out here.  The NWS issues a tornado for a given area, a county,
: say.  This I understand.  Once the warning is issued, whose responsibility
: then is it to blow the sirens?  My understanding is that it's the County
: OES and/or municipal agency's responsibility.  Is the municipality/county
: required to wait for a phone call from the NWS?
: 
: 
: So.  Whose responsibility is it to blow the siren?  Is the NWS being made
: a scapegoat?
: 
My $0.02 worth (and a bargin at that!!!:-)
	As I understand it, the NWS is responsible for issuing the 
Warning. However, the local municipality/County Emergency Management is 
who blows the sirens. Here in Kansas City KS, The Emergency Manager will 
blow the siren immediately upon a report of a funnel cloud, or a wall 
cloud with sufficient rotation, when the report is from a known, reliable 
spotter. It is the responsiblity of the OEM for all siren activity, 
including testing and maintenance, as well as blowing them "For Real".
	I believe most Emergency managers will wait until the NWS issues 
the "Official" warning to avoid the legal reprecussions that assuming the 
lead may expose one to. By waiting until the NWS issues the warning, they 
have someone to blame if it is too late. This is my *opinion*, nothing 
more. As I stated, in Wyandotte County Kansas, we will blow the siren 
*first*, then notify the NWS of the report (or possibly at the same 
time). 
	As stated, this is all my opinion. If it is misguided, incorrect, 
off target, arbitrary, and obtuse then it certainly should be 
recognizable as mine! :-)
BCNU Lef (Bill Lefler/WO0E Kansas City/Wyandotte County Kansas)
wo0e@sky.net