Siren alert not needed |
 IMPROVEMENT: CFA operations manager Stuart Kreltszheim explained the updated process of emergency alerts to concerned citizens. Public warning in wake of Nuplex Written by By LEAH TINDILL. AN emergency alert siren at Nuplex, to sound a warning to the public, is not necessary, according to local CFA officials. At a public meeting a week ago, residents raised concerns that warnings for the Nuplex chemical spill were not adequate and called for an emergeny alert (EA) siren to be installed at the plant. Siren advocate Jenny Stephens, who was evacuated on the night of the spill, said a siren for residents in the immediate vicinity of Nuplex would help cover those in their homes who didn’t hear the door knock calls. "I think it’s really important for the immediate community to know about it if it should happen again," she said. "I don’t want a text message because I got one for the bushfires but it wasn’t for hours and hours later. "I still say a siren would put the community at ease." But CFA Region 23 operations officer Paul Horton said while sirens do alert the public, they can’t relay information about what to do next. "Unless a siren goes off and there’s a spoken message all you’re doing is alerting people," he said. Mr Horton said external factors such as wind can easily disturb the noise path of the siren, basically rendering it ineffective. But he said Victoria’s emergency services team has upgraded EAs (emergency alerts) from the standard warning text messages to individual phonecalls to both mobile and home telephones. The system has been improved to detect all mobile phones within the warning area, not just those registered in the affected township. "What they will have is directional antennas to make sure that, between certain towers, every mobile will be contacted," CFA Region 23 operations manager Stuart Kreltszheim said. Mr Kreltszheim said the spoken message could include specific information where possible or advise residents to listen to ABC radio for updates. He said residents should be taking responsibility for their safety though, implementing action plans for all hazards, not just for bushfires or floods. "If this message comes, people need to not be placid and take a real active responsibility for their safety," he said. "The real importance of any alert system is that people then have a plan to act." |
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