(West Olive, MI ) – October will mark the final Ottawa County outdoor warning siren test for the year. Starting two years ago we added that the purpose of the October test includes a countywide shelter in place drill, co-hosted by the Ottawa Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and Ottawa County Emergency Management.
In Ottawa County our outdoor warning sirens are available as early warning for a variety of emergencies. Most often that emergency is weather related, such as a tornado, but it can be for other situations as well. Regardless of the type of emergency, the expected action for citizens who hear the outdoor warning sirens is to go to indoor shelter and seek more information (via emergency alert, local media, national weather service radio, etc).
The information could be that there has been a chemical release nearby and those hearing/seeing the alert should shelter in place until the chemical threat has passed. Sheltering in place for chemical emergency entails going to an interior room, shutting off all air handling units, AC, furnaces, fans, and closing and locking all doors and windows. The idea is to keep separate the outside air from the inside air, until the threat has passed and the “all clear” is given.
An additional step can also include using tape and plastic sheeting to cover windows and doors and seal all potential drafts. During the drill, the citizens of Ottawa County (and schools, businesses, etc.) are asked to evaluate their process, or to practice, the capability of sheltering in place for a chemical emergency.
More information on this topic, including tutorials and videos, is available on the miottawa website: Shelter in Place – Ottawa County, Michigan (miottawa.org).
For anyone who does participate in the shelter in place drill, they would love to get some feedback from you on how it went, please go to https://forms.office.com/g/HeuvNk8f9v
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