NOTICE of Woolwich Township Siren Testing and Test of the AlertWR System

Woolwich, ON – The Township is providing notification to the public of testing that will be occurring on our Siren/Shelter-in-Place Alerting System.  As this is the final step in transitioning the Township to our digital system, the town sirens will need to sound during the identified timeframe.  Each siren location will need to run for a full 3-minute cycle at some point during the timeframe noted below. 

This notification is being provided to the public as the sirens will be sounded outside of the normal weekly scheduled test of the siren system, and we do not wish to cause alarm to the community. 

In conjunction with our test of our Siren Systems, we will also be completing a test the Alert Waterloo Region (AlertWR) Notification System for Woolwich Residents only.  AlertWR is a service that allows residents to receive important public safety messages in the event of large-scale emergencies such as floods, severe weather, or significant power outages. Notifications can be delivered to home phones, mobile phones, text and email.

The schedule for Siren testing in the communities of Breslau, Elmira and St. Jacobs is as follows, and is subject to change:

• Tuesday, February 22^nd, 2022 between 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The schedule for test of the AlertWR system is as follows:

• Tuesday, February 22^nd, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.

The Siren and Shelter-In-Place program can be used for severe weather, gas leaks, transportation accidents and chemical releases.  Due to the nature and rapid movement of severe weather systems along with the fact that we have now moved to a region-wide alerting system, the Townships Sirens in Breslau, Elmira and St. Jacobs will still continue to be used to notify residents of a Tornado Warning.  If you wish to receive notification as to why the Sirens are going off (i.e., in case of a Tornado warning) you will need to register and subscribe for an email and/or text notification through the AlertWR System. 

You can register to receive important public safety messages in the event of flooding, severe weather, or other emergency situations where there is an immediate risk to life by visiting: www.alertWR.ca

As reminder, further information on our Township Siren and Shelter-in-Place Program can be viewed on our website by visiting: www.woolwich.ca/EmergencyPreparedness

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Media contact:
Rae Ann Bauman, Corporate Communications
Phone: 519-669-6021
Email: rbauman@woolwich.ca

For more information, contact:
Dennis Aldous, Fire Chief
Phone: 519-669-6011
Email: daldous@woolwich.ca