After numerous starts and stops a plan for an emergency warning system for Tyrone Borough has taken a step closer to becoming a reality thanks to the efforts a variety of community leaders.
Earlier this year, an attempt to obtain a double siren in Altoona fell through, when a fire department from another municipality obtained it before it could be removed and brought to Tyrone.
The Albemarle Citizens Advisory Council has been working on efforts to establish a communitywide warning and response system. Randy Andrews, the Albemarle plant manager, explained some of the history of the effort in a previous Daily Herald article.
“Several years ago, our community advisory council became interested in implementing an emergency warning system,” said Andrews. “Not just for chemical emergencies, but also transportation or natural disasters.
“The late ‘Barney’ Mogle formed a group outside of our advisory council,” said Andrews. “They spearheaded an effort to get an emergency notification system in place. They raised funds; brochures were printed up (to explain how it worked).
“The system relied entirely on Westvaco’s whistle,” said Andrews. “The brochures were printed in a Saturday edition of the Herald so every household would get one.
“They did a test. The outcome of the test was everyone couldn’t hear it,” said Andrews “We were left with about $400 to $500 and it was turned over to the borough.”
Over the years, at least one siren from Altoona was obtained from by the borough. That siren was kept at the water plant and recently the American Eagle Paper Mill agreed to refurbish it.
Since then additional efforts have been made to obtain more sirens and to work on an overall emergency response system to coordinate efforts of various businesses and agencies. Andrews said such a plan would include coordinating the emergency response efforts of the school district, the hospital, the borough, major businesses and surrounding communities such as Snyder Township.
Tyrone resident Bill Fink contacted State Representative Jerry Stern about the effort through a letter he wrote to the legislator in November. Stern’s office contacted Blair County Emergency Management Agency director Rodney Bohner and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, according to a Stern legislative aide in his Hollidaysburg office.
Bohner said three sirens were located in Altoona. He said he and Altoona fire chief Renny Santone worked to locate the sirens. Now, Albemarle is working with Bryce Saylor & Sons, Inc. to have the sirens removed from three different locations in Altoona. Bohner said, “the city of Altoona got out of the siren business several years ago.”
A number of sirens are located throughout the city and are in need of repair and refurbishing when they are obtained by an outside entity.
Andrews said his company would turn the sirens over to the borough, but it is not known how operational the sirens are after years of being unused. Andrews said the borough would have to work out who would take care of refurbishing the recently located sirens.
Additionally, a meeting has been scheduled between advisory council members, borough officials and Bohner work on the idea of consolidating emergency planning in the borough. The meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26.
