By Kathy Antoniotti
Akron Beacon Journal
GREEN: Decades ago, rural fire departments notified volunteers of emergencies by sirens that could reach across vast tracts of farmland where many were working during the day. The system was imperfect at best, particularly if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, or the field was too far away.
While many departments still use the same kind of sirens to notify residents of tornado warnings, cellphones and other electronics devices are replacing older systems.
And the city of Green, which has no tornado siren, doesn’t even try, said Fire Chief Jeff Funai.
“This type of early warning system is extremely limited in its reach and effectiveness and given the size of Green [33.5 square miles] is also cost-prohibitive,” he said.
Instead, the city uses technology to text, email and make phone calls to alert residents when a weather emergency is at hand, he said.
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