Reminder: Full Volume Tsunami Siren Test to Occur Wednesday

The following information is from the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services:

A full volume test of the coastside tsunami warning sirens is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2. 

Over the past two months the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services in conjunction with the Cities of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay have been working on a project to upgrade the public notification sirens that would be used to alert the public in the event of a tsunami. 

The alerting systems used by the Office of Emergency Services include the SMCAlert digital message system, the Telephone Emergency Notification System, and the outdoor alerting sirens. The tsunami alerting system is just one part of the all hazards approach to public safety that is being constantly improved to protect the residents and visitors of San Mateo County.

For the past six years a minimal test has been conducted at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. These tests have been conducted for 15 seconds and at approximately one quarter volume. These tests did prove the effective sound coverage of the sirens over the potential inundation area. These tests however were significantly softer than an actual activation would be, and could not be readily heard in most of the potential inundation area.

The full volume test scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 2 will be identical to an actual activation. There will be a test of the new voice announcement system just before and just after the siren test conducted in both English and Spanish. The test will last approximately 3 minutes and will allow the sirens to reach their full output level. Many municipal agencies and members of the public will be listening to the test next Wednesday and reporting their observations to the Office of Emergency Services.

The new sirens are capable of doing voice announcements as well as warning tones. The sirens use computer controllers to provide constant monitoring of their vital systems. They also incorporate green technology as they derive all of the power they need to operate from solar panels.