While spring is a time of pleasant temperatures and outdoor activities, it’s also the time that severe weather intensifies. During natural disasters, lives are on the line and seconds matter. Spring storms are unpredictable, potentially causing flash floods or spawning tornadoes rapidly. Having the right outdoor siren system helps people in your area stay safe when disaster strikes. But it’s only one part of the solution.
Cities, counties, campuses, and industrial facilities across Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Arizona trust OmniWarn Public Safety for warning system services such as design, installation, repair, and maintenance.
To ensure critical severe weather warnings reach the maximum number of people quickly and effectively, you should employ multiple methods to reach them. Here are the reasons why a multi-channel alert system is a must.
Reach As Many People As Possible
Outdoor warning systems are the tried and true method for severe weather alerts. And while they’re one of the most practical methods of storm warnings they may not reach everyone. Plus, spring storms don’t happen on a schedule. If people are asleep, listening to loud music, watching TV, or driving, they may not hear a siren. Mobile alerts and Emergency Broadcast System interruptions on television and radio cut through distractions and provide warnings to people regardless of where they are or what they’re doing: at home, driving, sleeping, at work, etc.
A multi-channel warning system reaches people where they are, allowing them to take the appropriate precautions and stay safe.
Overlapping Warning Coverage
When it comes to severe weather, there’s no such thing as overpreparation. A well-planned multi-channel warning system not only includes components that reach people wherever they are; it incorporates redundancy. That means if one component fails, such as a siren malfunction or cell tower congestion, the other warnings can still reach people in the affected area.
Redundant warnings go beyond a one-size-fits all mass warning solution, anticipating potential system issues, and making sure the people in your area hear the warning and react accordingly.
Actionable Information
People know that hearing an outdoor warning siren means they need to seek shelter. However, while getting people to safety is the intended result, a siren alone doesn’t tell the complete story. Someone hearing an outdoor warning siren could assume that it’s indicating a tornado is near or worse, assume that it’s just a test. A multi-channel approach clears up any ambiguity by providing much needed information such as:
- What type of hazardous weather is occurring
- Where the severe weather currently is and where it’s headed
- What time it’s expected to reach a particular area
- How urgent the warning is
- What steps people in the path of the storm should take
Multi-channel alerts keep people informed and that keeps them safe.
Faster Decision-Making
In severe weather situations, seconds can save lives. Once the population in an affected area have all the details of impending severe weather, they can seek shelter as quickly as possible. They don’t have to rush to find out what a siren means, where the severe weather is, or when it will reach them. They can take immediate action.
When seconds count, having prompt, direct information about a severe weather situation enables quick decisions and increased likelihood of making it to shelter.
Modernize Your Severe Weather Warning System
OmniWarn Public Safety is a factory-direct Federal Signal partner for Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana. We provide warning system, design, installation, and maintenance services nationwide. Our products allow customers to build comprehensive, multi-channel severe weather warning systems that fit their needs and keep people safe. This includes CommanderOne® emergency notification software, a cloud-based solution that works with and enhances Federal Signal’s Commander On-Premises Warning System.
CommanderOne® offers a complete mass notification and public warning solution that enables you to manage warning sirens, send mass text messages, utilize cameras and weather stations, view real-time alerts, and seamlessly integrate with APIs. OmniWarn will help you set up the software to seamlessly integrate with your other mass notification system components and provide streamlined systems management.
Get Started Now!
Ready to bring your severe weather warning system to the 21st century? Request a free consultation with OmniWarn Public Safety today. Serving public safety agencies across the United States, our team can inspect, test, and optimize your system, helping you stay alert today and alive tomorrow.