Here's where Mansfield's new tornado sirens are — and what to expect when they sound
The City of Mansfield has installed four new tornado sirens.
According to an announcement, the sirens are located at John's Park, South Park, John Todd Park and Burton Park. These sirens are now fully operational and will be maintained by Richland County. The sirens are controlled by the Richland County Sheriff's Office.
A one-minute test of all sirens will take place on the last Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. The monthly test is designed to ensure that the sirens function properly. The test will consist of a steady tone lasting one minute. If severe weather is already in progress, the monthly test may be canceled.
The sirens will be activated during weather emergencies when a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service. Upon receiving a tornado warning, the sirens will sound a three-minute steady tone. The message will inform listeners that "Richland County is under a tornado warning until hours this date." If additional reports of a tornado touchdown are received, the sirens may be activated again in the affected area.
Once the tornado warning period has expired, the sirens will sound a one-minute "all clear" signal. The message will state, "Richland County 911 to all listening stations, the tornado warning for Richland County has expired."
The City of Mansfield expressed gratitude to the Richland County commissioners for their support of this project, which aims to enhance public safety for residents and visitors.
For further details on how and when the sirens are activated during weather emergencies, residents can refer to the Outdoor Warning Siren Alert Notification Procedures issued by the Richland County Emergency Management Agency (EMA).
The Richland County EMA can be reached at 419-774-5686 or visit its Facebook page for updates.
This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield installs new tornado sirens to boost emergency readiness
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