City officials on Tuesday approved a quote to purchase software used to automatically activate outdoor warning sirens after notifications are issued by the National Weather Service.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety agreed to purchase the Rapid Warn National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) siren activation system for $14,350.
Public Works Director Bryan Burton told board members that the software currently used by the city, called Central Alert, is no longer supplied by a vendor they had been using previously, and that the software was due to be changed regardless.
The emergency notification group, made up of Bartholomew County Emergency Management, first responders, the city and county, agreed to move forward with the change in the past couple of weeks, according to Burton.
Once the National Weather Service issues an alert, the software will automatically set off outdoor sirens within the city and county to be paired with emergency notifications sent to electronic devices of those in the community through Everbridge.
There are 14 sirens within the city, four in the county and some in the county’s smaller towns, which the software would set off. The software also will run monthly siren tests and run diagnostics on the siren system.
Mayor Mary Ferdon emphasized that the siren system is set up for people who are outdoors, not indoors, which is why the Everbridge system is also used for notification purposes.
