DEPARTMENT: Fire
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Charles N. Hood
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-Wide
SUBJECT:
Review of Emergency Notifications
SUMMARY:
Citizens voiced their concerns through local media outlets and City leadership about the need for tornado sirens following the February 19th tornado event. The San Antonio Office of Emergency Management (SAOEM) initiated a review of current available emergency notifications.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On February 19th, 2017 the NWS issued tornado warnings for the San Antonio /Bexar County viewing area. After the initial impact had passed it was determined that 4 tornados (3 within the City of San Antonio) had touched down. The San Antonio Office of Emergency Management (SAOEM) then initiated a review of the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) and the COSA Hazard Mitigation Plan, which resulted in the formation of a committee to update the 2012 tornado sirens study.
The committee consisted of the following agencies; San Antonio Fire Department, San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio Office of Emergency Management, Bexar County Office of Emergency Management, National Weather Service, Development Services Department, Aviation, Transportation and Capital Improvement, and Sustainability.
This ad hoc committee met 4 times since the tornado events. Upon receiving regular briefings from the National Weather Service, they engaged in discussions about San Antonio's tornado history, future emergency planning updates, and emergency alerting best practices. Finally, the committee concluded that the installation of tornado sirens would not substantially improve public safety over the widespread use of smart phone applications and other forms of public alerting.
ISSUE:
Public safety during severe weather events depends on how quickly citizens receive emergency information. Through the widespread use of the National Weather Service Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, and other smartphone we...
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