FORT SMITH, Ark. — Update: Of the five sirens that the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) previously said had "functional issues," the department's weekly test of the city's emergency siren system on April 24 proved those issues have been resolved.
A comprehensive test of the city's tornado sirens, found five of the 31 sirens with malfunctions.
The extensive test, held on April 17, resulted in the sirens being partially defective or not working at all. Officials said the siren at Riley Farms was found to be defective but was fixed "on-site after clearing a carbon build-up."
The other four sirens found defective are located at:
- Bailey Hill and South 44th Street
- Rogers Avenue and I-540
- Cliff Drive
- Xavier Street and Wheeler Avenue
FSPD says the technical maintenance of the sirens is handled by Motorola who "performed both manual and wireless signal tests." Officials said the testing "triggered the remaining sirens' operations," which led them to believe the issue was a temporary external problem.
Despite this, FSPD said that to make sure the sirens continue working, they will be tested weekly starting April 24. FSPD said "officers will be assigned to monitor" the defective sirens to take any necessary actions immediately if any of them continue to have issues.
Any concerns about the functionality of the sirens in Fort Smith can be addressed to FSPD at 479-709-5000.
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