Today's TMJ 4 blasts Franklin in last nights news for being one few places in Milwaukee County without tornado (formerly know as civil defense) sirens. Kevin Fischer in his blog posting Does Franklin need an overhaul of its warning sirens? suggest we all need to purchase a Weather Alert radio that gives an alarm when impending bad weather is coming. Funny you should mention that Kevin because that is exactly what the Franklin Public School system does and they are serious when it comes to students reacting to the tornado drills as you see in TMJ's video, featuring our own Robinwood Principal Tom Reinke.
Mick Trevey then goes on to interview a Franklin Resident - Rita Bruders:
TODAY’S TMJ4’s Mick Trevey: “Today was the big statewide tornado drill. Did you know about it?”
“No,” Franklin resident Rita Bruders said.
Mick Trevey: “Did you hear a siren?”
“No, I wasn't aware of a siren,” Bruders said.
Trevey: That's because Franklin doesn't have tornado sirens, even though the mayor and the fire chief have both urged the city council to approve them.
The next question Treavey should have asked: If there was a siren what would you do? My guess the answer would be "I don't know".
Next the interview with the Assistant Fire Chief - Lloyd Bertram:
Mick Trevey: “Does it come down to cost?”
“I'm sure it does. Putting in sirens is a very costly endeavor, to try to find the funding to have that put in place,” Franklin Assistant Fire Chief Lloyd Bertram said.
Note: Kevin Fischer's source at city hall quotes a Franklin Taxpayer price tag of $200,000 since Wisconsin Emergency Management denied a hazard mitigation grant in 2004 that would have provided the city money for tornado sirens. The State does not think it is important enough to pony up the money for Franklin.
Trevey further points out:
The city is considering a reverse 911 system that could call people if there was a tornado warning, but for now, people have to count on weather radios for any information, if they happen to have them turned on. Franklin is one of the few places in Milwaukee County where you can't hear the sirens, but for the people that live in Franklin, that's small consolation.
OK Mick I grew up in the City of West Allis where we had a siren two blocks away. It went off at noon every Wednesday and guess what ... people ignore them.
They were angry when they went off by accident or when there was just a thunderstorm. These sirens were originally set up for Civil Defense and people have become oblivious to them. My guess if you interviewed a dozen people in the other Milwaukee County communities about the siren, many would say What siren? and What the heck is the Statewide Tornado Siren drill?
Alright, I have to ask, are you willing to pay more in taxes to get these sirens installed or are you going to go out to buy a weather radio with an alarm, just like FPS did?
