New warning system will improve campus readiness

Grand Valley’s Allendale Campus will be better equipped in case of an emergency next month when a project to install new tornado sirens is completed.

Five new sirens are being installed, including two that have already been installed but aren’t yet operational. The sirens will be located near the corner of 42nd Avenue and Pierce Street on the south end of campus, near Kleiner Commons, near Robinson Field, on top of Zumberge Library, and near the Fieldhouse Arena.

The warning devices are much more than an old-fashioned siren. The new units have the capability to broadcast pre-recorded messages or act as a live public address system. In the case of severe weather, they will sound a normal tornado warning siren, which is linked to Ottawa County’s 911 system.

Regular tests will begin on the new system as soon as it’s operational, which Public Safety officials hope will be sometime in April.

There is still a working siren in place on campus, which will remain in place through completion of the new system.

Grand Valley Police Department Captain Brandon DeHaan said the new warning system should be audible from all areas of campus outside of buildings, including the Meadows Golf Course. The new equipment will be loud enough to hear inside some campus buildings, and will also provide warning for some areas surrounding campus, including some off-campus student housing.