St. Mary’s County Emergency Management Agency and Constellation Energy Group's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant will conduct a 3-minute test of the new emergency response sirens as a single, complete system at noon on Monday, June 9, 2003.
The full system test serves as the final testing phase of the new system and follows individual testing of each of the new 72 sirens in April and May. Seventeen (17) of those sirens are in St. Mary’s County.
Constellation Energy Group staff members have worked with county officials since 2001 to develop a more flexible system that would meet current public need. With the new, $2-million system, emergency management officials in Calvert, St. Mary’s or Dorchester counties will have the ability to activate one, a small group or all of the new sirens. This capability assists officials in supporting each other in the unlikely event of an emergency at Calvert Cliffs and aids in notifying the public of adverse weather, such as tornadoes or hurricanes.
Also, the new sirens will be easier to test and monitor. Currently, officials must visit each individual siren to determine testing success. New technology will provide immediate electronic feedback to county emergency officials conducting tests.
Anyone who hears a full 3-minute siren at any time other than the scheduled full cycle test should tune in to a local Emergency Alert System radio station for emergency instructions. Those stations are: 1560 AM, 102.9 FM, 97.7 FM, 1690 AM, 98.3 FM, 104.1 FM, 1460 AM, 96.7 FM, 1240 AM, 106.3 FM.
For more information, contact the St. Mary’s County Emergency Management Agency at 301-475-4197.