Annual Siren Testing At Hanford Happening This Week

If you hear sirens coming from the area of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation this week there is nothing to fear.  It's time for the annual siren testing that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Northwest (ENW), Benton County Emergency Services (BCES). and Franklin County Emergency Management (FCEM) conduct.

The testing will take place this Thursday (October 16th) from 10am until noon and will consist of a couple rounds of testing.  The first phase will include sirens that run along the Columbia ad Yakima Rivers in Benton and Franklin Counties.

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The sirens will be heard in those areas as well as the area along the Columbia River between the Vernita Bridge and Leslie Groves Park in North Richland.  People who live and/or work near the Horn Rapids ORV Park, Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Area, and the Columbia Generating Station will also hear the siren test.

The system will be tested multiple times and to help make sure you know it is only a test, audio messages before and after each siren test will play.  The reason the tests are done is not only to ensure the emergency system is working properly, but also to train workers on proper emergency procedures.

There Will Be Other Tests Conducted During That Time

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be activated at 10:16 am as part of the testing exercise.  Benton and Franklin Counties will also test their Code Red System.  This will only pertain to those people who live within 10 miles of the Columbia Generating Station, it will not be county wide.  Code Red is a personal notification that utilizes the phone system.

Code Red is a free system that is easy to sign up to receive.  Benton County residents can click here for more information, while Franklin County residents can do the same by clicking here.  If you've yet to experience the annual siren testing from the Hanford area, you can get a preview of what you can expect by watching the video below.