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Inside the Oakland County emergency operation center
A statewide tornado drill was held today - and with the click of a button, 276 sirens went off from Holly to Southfield — alerting around 1.3 million people.
FOX 2 - Sirens blared across Michigan today for the statewide tornado drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The backstory:
It serves as a reminder to pay attention to warnings and take cover, especially after deadly tornadoes hit parts of southwest Michigan just two weeks ago.
With the click of a button, 276 sirens went off from Holly to Southfield — alerting around 1.3 million people.
What’s also fascinating — is that the specialists can trigger the sirens through their phone as well.
This emergency operations center is an important place — not only can they trigger the warning sirens — but this is a room where a lot of strategic communications take place during an emergency.
For example, the attack at Temple Israel last week had police, firefighters, logistics teams and more operating behind the scenes.
When it comes to severe weather in this instance they have emergency specialists and HAM radio operators at the ready — as well as constant contact with the National Weather Service.
Darin Page is the Oakland County Emergency Management specialist.
"One of our key responsibilities at the emergency operations center is warning," Page said. "We want to warn the public. People act with the information we give them in their own best interest to protect their families and themselves. We just have to get you that information as soon as possible."
FOX 2 asked Page what it was like to press the button.
"The first time I had to do it, I had only been there a few months, it was intimidating," he said. "Yes you were trained to do it and you understand the criteria. And the first time you go to hit the button you realize ‘I’m setting it off for 1.3 million people. ' It is an exciting moment, but now it’s become more casual.
"The phone app we have - sometimes we don’t get enough warning ahead of time to come into the office and monitor from the office. We can do everything remotely now, as long as we have power and cell service.
"I did set them off twice now from my phone app, which is kind of cool also."
Cool technology — and also important. They monitor a 10-mile radius outside of the county as well — that way if there is a tornado warning nearby people at the edge of the county get a heads-up.
The Source: