Warren County Emergency Management in Quest for New C.O.W.S Warning Sirens Grant

BOWLING GREEN, KY – Incidents of adverse weather conditions have been escalating in the Commonwealth lately. The recent tornadoes and wind breakages are only the most recent in the string of severe weather occurrences. With such unsettling events, Warren County Emergency Management has paused the scheduled test of the County Outdoor Warning Sirens (C.O.W.S), against the backdrop of an ongoing anxious weather environment.

Playing it Safe

Travis Puckett, Deputy Director for Warren County Emergency Management, mentioned that it might be best to play safe amidst the current climate of alarm and concern. He added, “There’s still a lot of cleanup happening in the city and the county. So, we decided it was best to just forego this one, and just wait and try to do them next month.”

Systems in Place

All 33 sirens across Warren County are silently tested on a daily basis to ensure their functionality. “The commander computer that’s in our office will dispatch a message to each side individually, and once that site replies back, it’ll reply back with a health check to ensure that the batteries and everything is good with that,” Puckett detailed.

The Hunt for Expansion

Warren County Emergency Management has currently applied for a grant intending to add 11 more sirens to the county. “Once the ’21 tornado hit, we really started evaluating our coverage area wholly. Each siren has a mile and a half range in perfect weather conditions, meaning no wind and nothing’s going on, you can hear it from a mile and a half. So, we started plugging in the holes and found that we needed at least 11. We’re hopeful that those will be coming soon,” shared Puckett.

The Role of C.O.W.S

Puckett puts a stress point on the essence of C.O.W.S; they are designed specifically for outdoor usage. Given the present-day architecture and ambient noise, it’s critical to have multiple ways to stay abreast of the weather alerts. “That’s why we always stress having more than one way to receive a weather alert.”

The next C.O.W.S tests are slated for Friday, July 12.