The Town of Canmore tested its emergency alert siren on Sunday (May 4) and discovered the emergency device has a significantly limited range in the community.
It is not clear when exactly the siren was last used, but it was transferred from the old fire hall to its current location in the late ’80s.
Sally Caudill, manager of communications for the municipality, said the test was a success because it provided the information needed, which was that the sound did not travel very far.
“It was great to test it and honestly we weren’t even sure that it would work,” Caudill said. “It is an old siren from when we were a much smaller town.
“One of the things for me that was great about the siren test was how many people reported back. Clearly people were engaged, they were listening for it.
“We got a lot of feedback, mostly from people who didn’t hear it, but it was great to get all that feedback and that people cared about it and were engaged.”
The municipality could not test the siren without notifying the public first, she added. The fact that the Town has an emergency siren came up after the flood last June when administration reviewed its systems for emergency response. Since it is not an effective tool to alert the entire community, Caudill said staff will now research what other tools are out there and their cost.
“We didn’t have a siren last year and we got the word out, so we will continue to do that,” she added.
Emergency information can be found on the Town of Canmore’s website, Facebook account, @CanmoreAlert on Twitter and from local media outlets.
