# Rutland Ma Warning siren.



## RodneyFarva (Jan 18, 2007)

Just an FYI if you or your family live in the area. don't panic.









*Warning siren up and running*
By Phyllis Booth
[email protected]
Fire Chief Bradley Weber wants to make sure everyone in town is aware the siren goes off every night at 5:55 p.m.

And if it goes off at any other time, residents should take immediate steps to get inside and tune it to their radio or television to find out why.

"The outdoor siren became functional on Nov. 18," said Weber. "We took a major step with our radio system which enabled us to do this. We are on a new frequency. We've moved off the low band infrastructure which dates back to the 1950's and 60's. We've now got a state of the art UHF system."

"What it means to the Rutland Fire Department is they can be miles away from dispatch and still talk to dispatch on a hand held radio," said Rutland Regional Emergency Communications Center Director Nick DaDalt. "The radio coverage we're providing in four towns is better now and next summer there will be added coverage in all towns for police, fire and emergency response personnel. We have one more tower to construct in Hubbardston which will be put up in 2015. About $250,000 will have been paid for simulcast equipment that will provide really good coverage in all four towns and be fully automatic, just push a button and talk. It's cost a lot of money and taken a lot of planning but this is where we're moving."

"But at this point we've taken the biggest step getting everyone off low band onto UHF," said Weber.

"No radio system is perfect," said DaDalt, "but we want to get to 100 percent from the 60 percent coverage we're at right now."

The outdoor siren sounding every night at 5:55 p.m. was requested by the anonymous donor who gave the money to have the siren refurbished and wanted to be able to hear it like it was many years ago, Weber said.

"If the siren goes off at any other time, attention is needed, especially if you are outside," he said. "Get to a safe place and turn on TV or your Smart phone," he added. "The primary reason for the siren is to warn residents in the event of a tornado. It's not just for any event, but for one that is imminent for Rutland. We have the information on Facebook, and on the town and dispatch Web site."

Officials don't want to use the siren unnecessarily, he added.

"We don't want to desensitize people. It could be used in the case of a hazmat situation in the town center."

In the case of an emergency it would sound twice and be repeated until the emergency is over, said Weber, who mentioned they want to test the system at noon on the first Wednesday of the month to get people used to it.

"It's a great tool and good for the town," said DaDalt. "These sirens often fall into the hands of collectors and scrap yards."

"The feedback from townspeople has been overwhelming," said Weber. "They tell us how much they've missed it. The siren has been sitting on the tower and we didn't have to do much to it. It will need maintenance, lubrication and cleaning."

Upgrading the entire radio system has taken months, said DaDalt.

"Everything came together recently and we've been very busy getting it running 24/7 and getting everyone up to speed on the new equipment," he added. "We're getting the full-time personnel to the expert level so they can pass the information on to others who aren't in every day."

Rutland RECC and the fire department have asked for reverse 911, said DaDalt.

"We'd like to get the Code Red system here and if all four towns in the regional dispatch system were to agree there would be tremendous savings," said DaDalt. "The boards of selectmen in the member towns would have to agree."

"I will be asking for the Code Red system in the FY15 budget," said Weber. "I want to try and do it in Rutland whether the other towns do it or not. My job is to protect the community of Rutland first."


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## FourInchFury (Jun 26, 2013)

Lmao great .gif!


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## Goose (Dec 1, 2004)

So now the Town of Rutland has a better communications system than the Massachusetts State Police in B Troop...fantastic.


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## RodneyFarva (Jan 18, 2007)

Goose said:


> So now the Town of Rutland has a better communications system than the Massachusetts State Police in B Troop...fantastic.


Well the MSP's budget FY16 does include funding for new soup cans and string.

*and no new mention of funding an RTT


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