Bayside Emergency Siren Not Functioning Properly

Update: As of 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the siren has been repaired. Due to the late hour of the repair, the new siren was not tested again that evening. Testing and a full analysis was completed Monday morning.

If it starts to look nasty outside, start keeping track of local weather warnings on TV or the radio because Bayside's emergency siren is not working properly.

Bayside's siren is tested every Saturday at noon. When it was tested yesterday, it did not fully complete the three-minute cycle that notifies residents of severe weather like tornadoes.

"We can sound the siren, but it'll go off once and sort of fizzle out," Village Manager Andy Pederson explained. "It starts off, then moans, then stops."

Pederson and Police Chief Bruce Resnick have been out since 7:30 a.m. today trying to discovery why the siren won't work. As of about 1 p.m., they think they have an idea.

"We're pretty sure we've diagnosed the problem," Pederson said. "We first thought it was a battery problem. There's two motors — one for the siren to make the noise, then one turning the siren. The one that makes the noise, we think one of the connectors is either corroded or bad and we think we've diagnosed."

The problem came as the National Weather Service has deemed many areas along Lake Michigan, including Bayside, as having a potential for hazardous weather Sunday afternoon and evening.

Since the siren may not be fully functional, Pederson is urging residents to stay tuned to local media outlets to monitor changing weather conditions or to use a weather radio to get the latest on what's happening.

The village will post warnings and alerts on its Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the day. You also can find a live weather feed on the village website. 

Emergency personnel also will be out throughout the village utilizing their public address systems to alert residents of possible severe weather.

"I would encourage people to stay tuned to the local media," Pederson said. "Sign up for text messaging. If they have a weather radio, that's great. Otherwise watch the local news stations."

For information on how to plan and prepare for  thunderstorms and lightening as well as what to do during and after a thunderstorm, visit: Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA Watch, or American Red Cross. 

For information on how to plan and prepare for tornadoes as well as what to do during and after a tornado, visit: Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA Watch or American Red Cross.

Patch will update this article as soon as the siren is working again.