In times of disaster and emergency, the City's emergency management plan will guide the response. The plan ensures that the Fire Department, Sheriff's Department, City leaders and staff, and other disaster response organizations have a coordinated effort. Additional homeland security and emergency management issues can be found at the State's web site at http://www.hsem.state.mn.us.
Sirens
When civil defense sirens sound, the best advice is to seek shelter and turn on your radio to get the latest information. Seek shelter in your basement or an area with interior walls and no windows.
The sirens signal some type of emergency. Not limited to signaling a tornado, the sirens may be alerting the community to the possibility of a chemical spill, gas leak, or other natural or manmade disaster.
The siren has a loud, steady tone. Do not confuse the civil defense siren with the sound that signals a fire call. The fire call siren is a wavering tone that only sounds during daytime hours. Sirens are situated at the North Fire Station; and near the intersections of Snail Lake Road and Rice Street; International Drive and County Road E; Edgerton and I-694; and Owasso Blvd. and Rice Street.
Sirens are tested the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
Severe Weather Shelter
The State's web site at http://www.hsem.state.mn.us/swaw/index2005.asp offers general information on severe weather. Guidelines for personal safety during severe weather include:
- Head to your basement or an area with interior walls and no windows.
- Secure shelter is located in the Five Star Home Park for residents living in that neighborhood.
- Vadnais Elementary School is no longer available for shelter when the sirens sound.