BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – As part of ongoing efforts to enhance emergency preparedness, the City of Battle Creek is notifying residents that some outdoor warning sirens may not activate during the scheduled monthly test at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday.
The city owns and maintains 10 outdoor warning sirens, which alert the public during severe weather and other emergencies. While most sirens are functioning properly, a few are experiencing intermittent failures due to aging software or hardware issues. The city says these sirens are already identified and scheduled for repair or replacement.
To address these issues, the city is partnering with Calhoun County on the Outdoor Warning Siren Activation Project, funded through the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program. The collaboration allows the city to access low-interest funding to upgrade critical emergency infrastructure. Work is expected to begin in August or September.
Through this initiative, all 10 of the city’s outdoor warning siren sites will receive equipment upgrades designed to improve performance and reliability. The enhancements will reduce false activations, introduce two-way system health monitoring to detect issues before scheduled tests or emergencies, and strengthen overall system redundancy to ensure consistent operation across the network.
While most issues will be resolved through these upgrades, the North Washington school siren will require physical repairs and the siren at the I-94 rest area will need to be fully replaced. The city is moving forward with plans to address both.
In the meantime, monthly siren tests will continue on the first Saturday of each month at 1:00 p.m. If you do not hear a siren near you during the test, it may be one currently awaiting repair:
Eldred Water Tower Siren – 122 Eldred St. – scheduled for upgrade
Battle Creek Tower Siren – 70 W. Michigan Ave. – operational
Urbandale School Siren – 123 N. Bedford Rd. – operational
N. Washington School Siren – 450 N. Washington Ave. – needs physical repairs
I-94 Rest Area Siren – Beckley/Helmer Road – needs replacement
Westlake School Siren – 1184 S. 24th St. – needs repair
Post Foods Siren – 275 Cliff St. – needs repair
Riverside School Siren – 650 Riverside Dr. – operational
Verona School Siren – 825 Capital Ave. – operational
Beckley Water Tower Siren – 5230 Beckley Rd. – operational
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