LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The village of Manley's emergency siren barely works, and fixing the siren likely won't be simple or cheap.
But no laws require a town or city to have a working emergency siren, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. In fact, many communities in Nebraska, including South Bend and Beaver Lake in Cass County, have no siren at all.
"It's really up to the local governments to decide whether or not they want to spend the money to purchase and maintain public warning systems," said Al Berndt, assistant director of the emergency management agency.
Berndt suggested towns like Manley check into USDA rural development grants for emergency siren projects.
The Manley siren has a faulty controller -- the part that activates it electronically when it gets an emergency page from the Cass County Sheriff's Department -- which means volunteer fire and rescue workers must set it manually, board secretary and Manley Fire Chief Jim Woolhiser said at a recent village meeting.
"It's just really old with obsolete parts," Manley board Chairman Mike Jensen said of the siren he estimates to be about 35 years old. "I was hoping to do updating on the complete system, but then I come to find out that there's no money available from the state to do that. So basically we're trying to make do with what we got."
The siren at the Cass County Department of Roads shop in the middle of town has been a source of constant frustration for the village as parts broke down, Jensen said. The issue with the controller was discovered this spring.
A new siren could cost Manley more than $1,200, said Jensen. He said the village considered repairing the one it has, but not many businesses could do the job because the parts are so dated.
"Funds are so short and in a small town like ours there are so many other places to spend money. "But we're working to get it done ASAP."
But the village of less than 200 has a couple of options, Jensen said. When the first siren was donated to the town, a second, backup siren accompanied it. The backup works, but it uses more power than is available in the county roads shop.
"This fall we're going to move the second siren into the co-op where there's enough voltage available to run it," Jensen said.
Bill Cover, director of the Cass County Emergency Management Agency, said his department encourages citizens to buy their own emergency warning systems. He suggests every home have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio, which cost $30 to $60.
"Those devices are designed to be used in the home and can wake you up in middle of night," Cover said. "Plus, it's a more cost-effective solution to the kind of problem Manley and other small towns face."
Buying radios for every household could be more cost-effective than buying a new siren for towns the size of Manley.
"So there are other options to explore. The fact that a community doesn't have a siren is not necessarily the end-all," Cover said. "And the bottom line also is that it's not up to the village or county to be the final say in protecting you and your family. It's the responsibility of the family to protect the family."
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...nebraska/7ac0607678b89739862571a200108e79.txt
But no laws require a town or city to have a working emergency siren, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. In fact, many communities in Nebraska, including South Bend and Beaver Lake in Cass County, have no siren at all.
"It's really up to the local governments to decide whether or not they want to spend the money to purchase and maintain public warning systems," said Al Berndt, assistant director of the emergency management agency.
Berndt suggested towns like Manley check into USDA rural development grants for emergency siren projects.
The Manley siren has a faulty controller -- the part that activates it electronically when it gets an emergency page from the Cass County Sheriff's Department -- which means volunteer fire and rescue workers must set it manually, board secretary and Manley Fire Chief Jim Woolhiser said at a recent village meeting.
"It's just really old with obsolete parts," Manley board Chairman Mike Jensen said of the siren he estimates to be about 35 years old. "I was hoping to do updating on the complete system, but then I come to find out that there's no money available from the state to do that. So basically we're trying to make do with what we got."
The siren at the Cass County Department of Roads shop in the middle of town has been a source of constant frustration for the village as parts broke down, Jensen said. The issue with the controller was discovered this spring.
A new siren could cost Manley more than $1,200, said Jensen. He said the village considered repairing the one it has, but not many businesses could do the job because the parts are so dated.
"Funds are so short and in a small town like ours there are so many other places to spend money. "But we're working to get it done ASAP."
But the village of less than 200 has a couple of options, Jensen said. When the first siren was donated to the town, a second, backup siren accompanied it. The backup works, but it uses more power than is available in the county roads shop.
"This fall we're going to move the second siren into the co-op where there's enough voltage available to run it," Jensen said.
Bill Cover, director of the Cass County Emergency Management Agency, said his department encourages citizens to buy their own emergency warning systems. He suggests every home have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio, which cost $30 to $60.
"Those devices are designed to be used in the home and can wake you up in middle of night," Cover said. "Plus, it's a more cost-effective solution to the kind of problem Manley and other small towns face."
Buying radios for every household could be more cost-effective than buying a new siren for towns the size of Manley.
"So there are other options to explore. The fact that a community doesn't have a siren is not necessarily the end-all," Cover said. "And the bottom line also is that it's not up to the village or county to be the final say in protecting you and your family. It's the responsibility of the family to protect the family."
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...nebraska/7ac0607678b89739862571a200108e79.txt
