By Teri Stiles
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp – On the average, tornados kill 60 people every year and there is no better way to protect yourself than to plan ahead.
The best weapon to guard against being unprepared for severe weather is tornado sirens.
Brandon township has had sirens in place since the mid 1980s, but Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur says the township still needs four more in place to have 100-percent coverage.
With three sirens placed throughout the village, coverage is considered 100 percent.
On Monday, March 15 the township approved the purchase of two more tornado sirens to be placed within the township.
The addition of the two new sirens, which cost the township $15,000 each, will bring the township and village combined total to 10, and the chief says the township is in a budget system to purchase a new siren each year until the township is covered.
While the total cost of a siren is over $20,000 McArthur says the township pays 75 percent and the county picks up the remaining 25 percent.
Once the sirens are in place the county does the monitoring, maintenance and replaces damaged parts.
McArthur says the siren functions are tested on a county-wide system once a month during severe weather season and the more than 280 sirens county- wide are continuously being upgraded.
‘There is no down side to having the sirens except that we are on a county-wide system of alert and if there is a threat–say in Southfield–the whole county is altered which upsets some residents, but if conditions are bad I’d rather be alerted,? McArthur said.
‘There is specific criteria they go by to set off the alarm.?
McArthur says when the sirens do go off to make sure and check television and radio stations to get good location information
‘Because people always think that it’s not going to affect them,? he said.
Be prepared to take cover and everyone should have a plan for cover in place already.
For people who live in mobile homes McArthur says that the county recommends residents immediately seek a place of shelter. The fire hall is not aa shelter because it’s a big open building.
The chief said when the sirens are sounded the department prepares by each firefighter activating their pagers to be on standby and they make sure all is safe with their families in case they have to leave.