Notice: Spearman Upgrades Weather Warning Sirens

On Thursday, June 29, 2023, after several month of waiting on contractors to arrive, upgrades to the City of Spearman’s outdoor storm siren system have been completed. The upgrades included adding and programming radio decoders at each of the five storm sirens located around town. This upgrade allows the sirens to be activated over a secure, dedicated radio frequency by City of Spearman and Hansford County emergency personnel.

Previously, the sirens were activated through antiquated and unreliable analog landline phone lines. The transition to radio activation makes the siren system more reliable and provides for more resiliency as the system can be activated from the primary radio system at Hansford County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch and through the radios in police, deputy and fire vehicles.

During storm season, the storm siren system is tested weekly on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. In the event severe weather is forecast during the scheduled testing time, we will not test the sirens that day.

The storm sirens are designed to warn those who may be outdoors during an imminent dangerous weather situation to seek shelter indoors. The sirens may not always be heard indoors. Once indoors, people should tune into their NOAA weather radios, local TV and radio stations, and weather apps for more specific information on the situation.

The storm sirens will be activated when the City of Spearman is placed in a Tornado Warning by the National Weather Service or when trained storm spotters confirm a tornado on the ground near the city.

We encourage everyone to visit http://r.i-info.com/rc/prc to sign up for the Panhandle Area Regional Information System (PARIS) to receive weather and other emergency notifications via text and email.

Justin Parker City Manager