Current through March 20, 2024
Authority: IC
36-8-21.5-9
Affected: IC
36-8-21.5-13
Sec. 5.
(a) The
following standards and specifications shall be applied to those outdoor severe
weather warning sirens installed and maintained in Indiana counties that have
prepared a county siren coverage plan:
(1)
Severe weather warning sirens may be of either electromechanical or electronic
design.
(2) Severe weather warning
sirens may employ three (3) coverage patterns to provide a full range of the
alert coverage to a given area:
(A)
directional, which are devices sending out a highly focused cone of sound in
the direction that they are pointing;
(B) rotating, which are devices designed to
spin completely several times per minute so the sound spreads three hundred
sixty (360) degrees in a horizontal plane; or
(C) omnidirectional, which are devices
designed to have the same sound power in all directions in a horizontal plane
by employing multiple horns radiating out from a central point, covering a full
three hundred sixty (360) degrees, without the need to rotate.
(3) Severe weather warning sirens
shall be weather resistant and able to operate in a range of environmental
conditions and temperatures (minus thirty (30) degrees centigrade to plus sixty
(60) degrees centigrade).
(4)
Severe weather warning sirens shall be resistant to insects and nesting
birds.
(5) Severe weather warning
sirens shall have sufficient power to provide for continuous, uninterrupted
service to perform all of its essential functions including the activation,
control, monitoring, and testing of the warning system components if conditions
warrant. Severe weather warning sirens shall:
(A) be powered by the local electrical grid
and in order to operate in the absence of this power source; and
(B) integrate and use one (1) or more of the
following backup power configurations:
(i)
Primary power from a local electric distribution grid, supplemented by
emergency or standby power systems (for example, engine-driven
generators).
(ii) Primary power
from a local electrical distribution grid backed by an SEPSS (for example,
batteries).
(iii) Primary power
from on-site power system (for example, engine-driven generator) backed by
SEPSS.
(iv) Primary power from
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that "floats" on local electrical
distribution grid.
(v)
Photo-voltaic or thermo-voltaic devices (that is, solar cells, used to charge
SEPSS to supply steady electric power).
(6) UPS or SEPSS for outdoor severe weather
warning siren systems shall:
(A) at a minimum,
be designed to operate in a standby mode for at least twenty-four (24) hours
without AC power from the local electrical distribution grid;
(B) be capable of operating in its alerting
mode at its full design capability without recharge for a period of at least
fifteen (15) minutes;
(C) allow for
automatic charging to be sized such that batteries in the UPS or SEPSS are
fully recharged to at least eighty percent (80%) of their maximum rated
capacity from the fully discharged state in a period of twenty-four (24) hours;
and
(D) utilize batteries of a
maintenance-free design with a charging system designed to ensure a minimum
battery life of at least three (3) years.
(7) The installation, maintenance, and use of
severe weather warning sirens shall follow the manufacturer's recommendations
and guidelines.
(b)
Counties electing to develop a siren coverage plan under IC
36-8-21.5-13
shall establish a central control site for their outdoor warning system having
the capability to communicate and obtain information from all severe weather
warning sirens erected in the county. Communication may take place through one
(1) of the following means:
(1) A wired
channel technology, consisting of either copper or fiber optic lines, with
fiber optic lines being preferable.
(2) A wireless communications technology,
consisting of radio frequencies in very high frequency (VHF) or the ultra high
frequency (UHF) ranges.
(3) Other
communications technologies, such as satellite communication channels, where a
central control site may communicate with multiple outdoor siren
sites.
(c) If severe
weather warning sirens are activated in an affected county, they shall provide
alert and warning to the public at regular intervals if emergency conditions
persist or are expected to continue over a prolonged period of time. The
continuation of alerts may occur at least every twelve (12) minutes for the
first hour and every twenty (20) minutes thereafter, until the danger or threat
to the public has dissipated.
(d) A
common audible siren alert for an impending or occurring severe weather
incident shall consist of a steady wail tone that is signaled over a period of
three (3) to five (5) minutes.
(e)
Severe weather warning sirens may also include a voice broadcast capability in
addition to the wail, but such broadcast capability may not replace the wail as
the primary tone in altering the public of impending hazardous
conditions.
(f) Counties that have
outdoor warning systems with other alerts, tone, and voice messaging
capabilities shall communicate these alerts to senior officials, responders,
and the public at large to ensure there is understanding of the types of alerts
that may be heard and their corresponding meanings. This information shall also
be made available in a county siren coverage plan.
(g) In addition to the specifications listed
above, counties adopting a siren coverage plan shall also consider the
following when acquiring, installing, maintaining, and testing their outdoor
warning systems:
(1) Integration of severe
weather warning sirens with other systems that focus on communications,
mapping, and frequent integration of new technologies and best
practices.
(2) Ensuring other forms
and means of communicating warning are made available to populations who are
hearing impaired.