The village of Homewood will replace existing emergency warning sirens and install three new warning system sirens in the upcoming weeks.
Due to difficulty obtaining repair parts for the 25-year-old sirens, village officials found it necessary to replace the equipment entirely.
The current sirens have outdated technology and have to be manually started by the Homewood Police Department. The new sirens will be sounded electronically through the village’s emergency dispatch center as many other communities do.
Residents should be aware the new sirens will no longer include voice messages following the sounded alerts.
“Homewood has needed a more reliable and updated emergency warning system for many years,” said Deputy Fire Chief Steve DeJong. “Residents can feel safe knowing timely notification will be sent in the event they need to shelter-in-place.”
Installation of the new sirens was expected to start on or about Nov 7 and take anywhere from 7 to 10 days.
Federal Signal, in conjunction with Braniff Communications, won the bid process in July 2022. The $85,000 contract covers the removal of the three old sirens and the installation of new equipment.
The locations of the updated sirens will be installed at the original locations of 183rd Street and Stewart Avenue, 187th Street at Patriots Park and at the Public Works Department facility at 17755 Ashland Ave.
Sirens will continue to be tested at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.