The gist
Warning sirens are used to alert residents of severe weather emergencies and will be used alongside the city’s mass notification systems, according to a Feb. 20 city news release.
The sirens are placed throughout the city at strategically-picked locations including Fire Station No. 3 and the Celina Police Headquarters.
“Those locations were picked looking at different combinations of where city growth is occurring and along where the city has property and is able to easily add those sirens,” Thomas said.
Celina officials will follow the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Outdoor Warning Siren Frame to determine when the sirens will be set off, according to a Feb. 23 update from City Manager Robert Ranc.
Events that would set off the sirens include:
- A tornado warning anywhere in Celina city limits
- Severe thunderstorm warnings indicating winds of 70 mph or more
- Trained storm spotters report a tornado that could potentially affect Celina
- Hail 1.5 inches or more in diameter
- Other emergencies as directed by Celina’s designated public safety officials
“The reason why we have these outdoor warning sirens is we want people to be alerted during severe weather and that's not just tornadoes,” Thomas said. “That could be large hail, high-gust winds, and then up to the discretion of public safety here at the city of Celina, if there’s any notification that we need to push out to alert our residents.”
Going forward
The Office of Emergency Management will conduct siren tests at 12 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month starting March 6. Monthly tests ensure the effectiveness and reliability of the sirens, according to the news release.
