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1. Where are the sirens located?

1. Entrance road to the Immaculate Conception Church property
2. Next to the Cherry Street water tower
3. Bethany United Methodist Church property
4. Next to the bulk water sales building off Admiral Trost Drive
5. Behind the Department of Public Works building

2. What are the tones?

All three tones can be heard via the 3 following links:

• Fire Call - Wail (MP3)
• Noon and 6 - Westminster Chimes (MP3)
• Tornado - Alert (MP3)

3. Why do I hear church bells at Noon and 6 pm?

One of the components of an effective warning system is to have distinct and easily recognized tones (sirens) for each type of event. It was decided to keep the standard "alert" tone for tornado warnings. Working with the Columbia Fire Department, the "wail" tone was chosen for fire calls since it closely resembles an emergency response siren. The remaining tone, the Noon and 6 p.m. tone, is sounded out of tradition. Once used to alert farmers in the field of dinner (lunch time) and supper time, these tones needed to be distinctly different from the other two. 

With the increased coverage area, it was decided a more subtle tone should be used. As a result, the church bells (Westminster Chimes) were selected.