Weekend siren tests will be longer
YOUNGSTOWN — For the next three Saturdays, Mahoning County’s noon siren tests will last three minutes, instead of the usual one minute.
The tests will determine whether all activation locations for the county’s 53 emergency alert sirens are working properly as severe weather season approaches, said Clark Jones, the county’s emergency management director.
Local fire departments and amateur radio operators will monitor the tests, according to the county’s emergency management agency.
An actual weather alert consists of a three-minute steady siren rotation, Jones said.
During a March 25 test, 17 of the sirens failed to sound because of a flaw in the radio activation system, Jones said.