Rolling Hills City Council
April 25, 2022

City of Rolling Hills
pthat would allow for the Sewer Design. NV5 assumes one sheet each for the 8-inch waterline and the 6- inch waterline with the plan and profile, plus one standard sheet.

No additional utility investigation will be added, as it is assumed that the prior utility investigation for the sewer line in the same vicinity will be sufficient for the water lines. NV5 will update the specifications for the waterlines, including the bid schedule, pipeline material, disinfection and testing process, as well as AVAR valves each end. NV5 assumes two (2) submittals to the City of Torrance for review.

The fee to provide these services is as follows:

TASK
NO. WORK DESCRIPTION

PROJECT

MANAGER

PROJECT

ENGINEER

TRAFFIC

CONTROL

ENGINEER

CAD DESIGNER
TE
Roberts * ODC's * FEE *
$185 $135 $160 $120
Hours $ Hours $ Hours $ Hours $
1 Prior Torrance Submittals 2 $370 8 $1,080 $0 24 $2,880 $4,330 2 Traffic Control Plans for Final Design

2.1 Preparation of Three Phased Traffic Control Plans 8 $1,480 16 $2,160 24 $3,840 90 $10,800 $18,280

2.2 1st Submittal Corrections to City of Torrance & 2nd Submittal 4 $740 8 $1,080 12 $1,920 24 $2,880 $6,620 3 3.1 Permits (If Applicable, $1561 Per 2021 Fee Schedule) 4 $740 8 $1,080 $0 $0 $ 1,561 $3,381

3.2 Up To Three Days Potholing (3 days @ $8500) $0 $0 $0 $0 $ 25,500 $25,500

3.3 Up to Six Hot Patch of 2x2 Potholes ($2500) $0 $0 $0 $0 $ 2,500 $2,500

3.4 Traffic Control Plans (If Needed Up to $2500 If Not WATCH) $0 $0 $0 $0 $ 2,500 $2,500 4 Design Updates from Pothole Informaiton on Torrance Set

4.1 Update the Torrance Set 4 $740 16 $2,160 $0 24 $2,880 $5,780

4.2 Two Resubmittals to the City of Torrance 2 $370 6 $810 $0 16 $1,920 $3,100 Subtotal Task 1-4 24 $4,440 62 $8,370 36 $5,760 178 $21,360 30500 $1,561 $71,991

5 Optional Scope for Waterline Redesign

5.1 Two Additional Sheets Plus One Standard Sheet 4 $740 24 $3,240 $0 60 $7,200 $11,180

5.2 Two Resubmittals to the City of Torrance 2 $370 6 $810 $0 16 $1,920 $3,100

5.3 Update Specifications for Waterlines 2 $370 24 $3,240 $0 $0 $3,610

5.4 Update Cost Estimate for Waterlines 2 $370 16 $2,160 $0 $0 $2,530 Subtotal Task 5 10 $1,850 70 $9,450 0 $0 76 $9,120 $0 $0 $20,420

Subtotal Task 1-5 34 $6,290 132 $17,820 36 $5,760 254 $30,480 $30,500 $1,561 $92,411 Total Fee $92,411
* Subconsultant and ODC's are Marked Up 15%
The method of compensation will be based on time and materials in accordance with the rates provided in this fee proposal. The estimated hours are listed for each task and the actual hours may vary. The total compensation for the services and work rendered will not exceed the total fee.

We greatly appreciate your consideration of this matter and we thank you for the opportunity to work with the City on this project. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact me at 951.377.1566 or via email at [email protected].

Respectfully submitted,
NV5, Inc.

Luanne Bean, MS, PE Jeffrey M. Cooper, PE
Director of Water & Waste Water Operations Vice President PN: P27022‐0001747.00
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Agenda Item No.: 11.D
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ALAN PALERMO, PROJECT MANAGER
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: APPROVE LAYOUT OPTION 3 FOR THE CITY HALL ADA

IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT, AND APPROVE AN AMENDED

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH PACIFIC
ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING, INC. TO PROVIDE
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.

DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

In December 2019, the City released a Request For Proposal for Architectural and Engineering Design Services to prepare ADA Improvement Plans for the Rolling Hills City Hall, excluding building exterior path of travel. At the January 27, 2020 City Council Meeting, City Council considered and approved a Professional Services Agreement with Pacific Architecture and Engineering, Inc. (PAE) to prepare Improvement Plans (ADA and Space Planning). A kick off meeting with PAE was held February 27, 2020. At the May 26, 2020 City Council Meeting, City Council received a presentation from staff on the options developed to bring the restrooms up to date and comply with ADA and related codes. At the July 13, 2020 City Council Meeting, City Council received a presentation from staff with additional information to the two preferred options including opinions of probable costs of construction. At the July 13, 2021 City Council Meeting, City Council voted to move forward with the more economic Option 2 which kept the restrooms in the same location. Option 1 and Option 2 layouts presented at the July 13, 2020 City Council meeting are attached to this report.

PAE submitted the 65% plans for City review on March 9, 2021. This submittal incorporated the restroom option selected at the July 13, 2020 City Council Meeting. The City has reviewed the 65% plans with comments. Before City review comments are returned to PAE to further develop the plans to 90% design, Councilmember Jeff Pieper noted that the City considered the options using cost estimate restroom upgrades but not the overall project cost.

Councilmember Pieper recommended that the City Council revisit the layout options. In response to Councilmember Pieper's suggestion, at the April 12, 2021 meeting, the City Council directed staff to provide a comprehensive project cost estimate for restroom layout Options 1 and 2.
276
At 65% design completion, the estimated overall project cost for option 1 was $952,810 and $784,390 for option 2 for a difference of approximately $168,420. At the June 28, 2021 meeting, the City Council directed staff to add measurements to option 1 layout for additional discussion at the July 12, 2021 meeting. Using the measurement shown for option 1 in the City Hall lobby area, staff also taped the floor of the lobby to locate the proposed public counter. At the July 12, 2021 meeting, the City Council delayed to item to the July 26, 2021 meeting. At the September 13, 2021 meeting, staff recommended the inclusion of accordion doors along with the possibility of expanding the lobby area by moving the glass partition wall out. Additional suggestions were made to use French doors and remove an existing interior wall behind the display case to expand the lobby area of City Hall to accommodate the number of residents that attend the annual holiday house event. The City Council directed staff to bring back City Hall ADA Improvements project at the next City Council meeting so that the City Council can provide direction to staff on the next steps.

The iterations of designs, the preparation of cost estimates, investigation into alternative features (partition walls), and the preparation of construction drawings up to 65% complete for Option 2 combined exhausted the budget in the contract with PAE.

At the October 25, 2021 meeting, staff presented a third option prepared by staff for consideration. Option 3 took into consideration the City Council's feedback from the September 13, 2021 meeting. Option 3 proposed by staff includes pushing the existing line of wall at the front door to the City Hall, moving one of the three All Gender restrooms to the newly expanded space and enclosing the hallway to the Council Chambers to allow for a meeting room. The City Council favored Option 3 but decided to hold off on giving staff direction on the next steps until the City Council has an opportunity to consider all the capital improvement projects at the 2022 Strategic Planning Workshop.

DISCUSSION:

At the 2022 Strategic Planning Workshop, the City Council discussed moving forward with two capital improvement projects for Fiscal Year 2022-2023: City Hall ADA improvements project and the Tennis Courts improvements project. Staff recommends that the City Council direct staff to prepare construction plans based on layout Option 3 and approve an amended agreement with PAE.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Pacific Architecture and Engineering's fee proposal to complete engineering design for Option 3 is $96,485 . The fee includes bid support and construction administration during the bidding and construction phases of the project. There is no funding available in the adopted FY 2021- 2022 budget for the design fee. If the City Council should move forward with an amended agreement with Pacific Architecture and Engineering to complete construction documents based on layout Option 3, appropriation of general fund reserves to the Capital Improvement Program Fund 40 is necessary to pay for this expense.

RECOMMENDATION:

Approve layout Option 3 and direct staff to prepare Amendment No. 3 to the service agreement with Pacific Architecture and Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $96,485.

ATTACHMENTS:

CL_AGN_220314_CC_CityHall_ADA_Improvements.pdf
CL_AGN_220314_CC_CityHall_ADA_Option01.pdf
277
CL_AGN_220314_CC_CityHall_ADA_Option01B.pdf
CL_AGN_220314_CC_CityHall_ADA_Option02.pdf
CL_AGN_220314_CC_CityHall_ADA_Option03.pdf
278
Pacific Architecture and Engineering, Inc.
730 Arizona Ave, Santa Monica CA 90401
(424)330-1721
January 12, 2022
Subject: Proposal for City of Rolling Hills ADA Improvement Design_Additional Services Pacific Architecture and Engineering, Inc., is pleased to submit this proposal for engineering services for ADA Improvements at City Hall.

Scope of Work:

The current scope of work includes three new restrooms, one being outside of current building perimeter, new required water fountain, new exterior entry door location, new meeting room and relocated coffee area, and relocated Electrical Data room. This requires new structural supports at exterior for new walls, re-routed utilities for water, sewer, power and hvac to new restrooms, and rerouted electrical and data at new Electrical room.

1. Prepare Schematic Design plan for city approval

2. After City approval, prepare Design Development Plans

3. Construction Documents and Cost Estimate
Exclusions: City to provide survey, Geotech report, hazardous materials testing and specifications, Hydrology not included.

Fee
Design Bid CA
$73,000.00 $7,310.00 $16,175.00
Time and Material Not to exceed $96,485.00
We appreciate the opportunity to present this proposal. If you have any questions please contact me for any further information you may need at (310)405-3878 or [email protected] Sincerely,
Jun Fujita Hall, AIA, LEED AP BD & C, Lic# C 30954
Principal Project Manager, Pacific Architecture and Engineering, Inc. 310-405-3878
[email protected]
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280
281
282
283
Agenda Item No.: 11.E
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ELAINE JENG, CITY MANAGER
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF CITY OF MALIBU SIREN FEASIBILITY REPORT BY

MISSION CRITICAL PARTNERS, SUGGESTION BY RESIDENT, AND

SUGGESTION BY COUNCILMEMBER DIERINGER REGARDING

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)
WEATHER RADIO.

DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

At the March 28, 2022 City Council meeting, in review of the proposed outdoor siren system report by HQE Systems Inc. (HQE Systems,) the City Council allocated $3,500 for HQE Systems to analyze the placement of siren poles at specific locations within the community and provide analysis. As directed, at the April 11, 2022 City Council meeting, staff presented the City Council with an amended professional services contract for HQE Systems, not to exceed $3,500. The amended professional services contract was pulled from consent calendar by Councilmember Dieringer who referred to an email (see attached) received from a Rolling Hills resident on April 11, 2022. The resident recently relocated from the City of Malibu and provided a copy the Malibu's July 2020 Siren Feasibility Report as prepared by Mission Critical Partners (see attached.)
Councilmember Dieringer noted that she spoke with a City of Malibu staff member and was informed that their outdoor siren system testing results showed the sirens were not audible indoors in certain areas of the city. Councilmember Dieringer also noted that the City of Malibu staff suggested the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio where the National Weather Service would broadcast weather conditions, hazardous events, and public safety events. Based on the City of Malibu's input, Councilmember Dieringer suggested that the City Council, in lieu of spending funds on studying an outdoor siren system, purchase NOAA weather radios for all residents so that the alerts can be heard from indoors.

At the April 11, 2022 City Council meeting, staff was directed to bring back the amended contract for HQE Systems for action at the April 25, 2022 City Council meeting. Staff was also directed to investigate the NOAA weather radio suggested by Councilmember Dieringer. 284
DISCUSSION:

In Fiscal Years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, the City Council provided funding for the Block Captain Program to investigate communication platforms in the event of complete power failure in the community. The Block Captains and city staff initially used funds to purchase twoway radios. When the handheld radio option proved to be ineffective, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued to solicit expert opinions on alternate communication systems to meet community needs in the event of complete power failure. HQE Systems was hired as the subject matter expert through the competitive solicitation process. HQE Systems recommended an outdoor siren system. To date, HQE Systems has exhausted the service agreement budget for preparing the Mass Notification Report, dated December 2021. Without budget, staff could not work with HQE Systems to have their experts review the features of the NOAA weather radio and if the radio would meet the needs of the city. Instead, staff conducted research with available information online.

NOAA Weather Radio
According to weather.gov, the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NWR is provided as a public service by the NOAA, part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes more than 1000 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent to coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Broadcasts are found in the VHF public service band at seven frequencies (MHz).

According to wikipedia.org, NWR works in cooperation with the FCC's Emergency Alert System, providing comprehensive severe weather alerts and civil emergency information. In conjunction with federal, state and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR has the ability to broadcast alerts and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), human made (such as chemical releases or oil spills), technological (such as nuclear power plant emergencies) and other public safety (such as "AMBER alerts" or 9-1-1 telephone outages). Listening to NOAA Weather Radio station requires a specialized VHF radio receiver or scanner capable of receiving at least one of seven specific VHF-FM channels within the frequency range of 162.400 through 162.550 MHz, collectively known as the "Weather Band." For example, a receiver that only tunes in standard AM or FM broadcast stations will not suffice.

According to amazon.com, manufacturer Midland makes NOAA Emergency Weather Alert Radio for $29.99. The product has the following descriptions:

Public-alert certified monitor receives 7 NOAA channels with flood, tornado, thunderstorm, and other warnings
SAME alert programming sounds an alert only when specific counties are threatened 25-county memory system; 90 dB siren, voice alert, and flashing LED warning systems Uses three AA alkaline batteries for emergency power back-up in the event of power outage
Built-in clock with alarm and snooze; measures 6.0w x 1.5h x 5.0d inches; 1 year warranty
A strobe light for the Midland NOAA Emergency Weather Alert Radio can be purchased for an 285
additional $19.99.

City of Malibu Siren Feasibility Report by Mission Critical Partners, dated July 2020 The purpose of the report was to identify and design multiple siren sites to ensure that sirens are audible in all areas of the City of Malibu. The report noted NOAA Weather Radio as a method of alerting the community. The report also noted that the City of Malibu is not using NOAA Weather Radio. The report listed seven vendors that manufacture sirens and provided technical information on sound, sound propagation, tone versus voice, and siren coverage predictions. Similar to HQE Systems for Rolling Hills, Mission Critical Partners proposed three options for the City of Malibu:

1. The first option included 6 siren locations for $426,000.

2. The second option included 20 siren locations for $1,168,000.

3. The third option included 33 siren locations for $1,857,000.

The City of Malibu's shape is a strip of land, 21 miles long, fronting the Pacific Ocean coast line.

For two fiscal years, the Block Captain Program investigated and attempted to make radios the solution for the communication gap in the event of complete power failure in Rolling Hills. As discussed with the Rolling Hills City Council, the two-way radios require ongoing maintenance and must be sufficiently powered for functionality in times of need. Similarly, the NOAA Weather Radio would also need to be maintained, and sufficiently powered to be functional in the time of need. Unlike sirens that broadcast relevant information to the City of Rolling Hills, one would have to sift through the information from the continuous broadcast to hone in on any relevant information to Rolling Hills. The City of Malibu is currently exploring communication methods to be prepared for another emergency event. There were many lessons learned from the recent Woolsey wildfire. From the Mission Critical Partners report commissioned by the City of Malibu, it appears the city was also attempting to address the issue of communicating with residents in the event of complete power failure. With topography differences, the conclusions drawn by one jurisdiction may not be entirely applicable to another jurisdiction.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Receive presentation and provide direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS:

April11-2022EmailKamranJahangard.pdf
Malibu_Siren Feasibility Report_14JULY2020_FINAL.pdf
NOAA Weather Radio.pdf
NOAA Weather Radio - Wikipedia.pdf
Amazon.comMidlandNOAAWeatherRadio.pdf
Sign up for Alert LA County.pdf
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4/19/22, 3:31 PM Mail - Elaine Jeng - Outlook
https://outlook.office.com/mail/id/AAQkAGY2NmQyYmFiLWI1YWMtNDlhOC05ZmVlLWRkN2U0YzQ1MGQ5MwAQAH8%2BwgslE3xOuXjrMLLsquY%3D 1/4 Fwd: No on Sirens! And Malibu Siren Study
Bea Dieringer <[email protected]>
Mon 4/11/2022 3:21 PM
To: Elaine Jeng <[email protected]>
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:

From: Bea Dieringer <[email protected]>
Date: April 11, 2022 at 11:38:29 AM PDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fwd: No on Sirens! And Malibu Siren Study
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:

From: Kamran Jahangard <[email protected]> Date: April 11, 2022 at 11:32:08 AM PDT
To: Bea Dieringer <[email protected]>, Jim Black
<[email protected]>, Jeff Pieper <[email protected]>, Leah Mirsch <[email protected]>, Patrick Wilson <[email protected]> Subject: No on Sirens! And Malibu Siren Study
Hi City Council,
Ms Bea Dieringer, Mr James Black, MD, Mr Jeff Pieper, Ms Leah Mirsch and Mr Patrick Wilson,
I am a new resident of Rolling Hills and was concerned about the Fire Siren topic that City Hall Council Members were discussing.  I did try to make a public comment but was missed via the zoom call but later acknowledged.

My wife's family has been longtime Malibu residents since the early 70's and My family for the past 20 years. There is no way Rolling Hills could ever compare to Malibu. Access, Size, demographics, location and probability of natural disasters should all be considered when comparing other locations' fire mitigation practices vs that of Rolling Hills.  This is the main reason we are returning to Rolling Hills from Malibu.
287
4/19/22, 3:31 PM Mail - Elaine Jeng - Outlook
https://outlook.office.com/mail/id/AAQkAGY2NmQyYmFiLWI1YWMtNDlhOC05ZmVlLWRkN2U0YzQ1MGQ5MwAQAH8%2BwgslE3xOuXjrMLLsquY%3D 2/4 Sirens should not be installed in Rolling Hills. Period.

I have taken it upon myself to reach out to Malibu City about fire sirens as it was mentioned in error that Malibu was going to be getting them.  This is simply not the case.

I have spoken with Ms Susan Duenas (who is actually from PV!) And she kindly informed me that Malibu City did do a fire siren quality and plausibility report.  They did test runs  and wanted to see if it was effective, since a lot of residents in Malibu have double and triple paned windows to keep out the noise.

She informed me the results were not very promising at all and were not the best.

She has kindly sent me their copy of the report, which I am attaching to this email for your reference and analysis. Please read it. There is some good info in there showing the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of an outdated siren system.

It is also very detailed and inclusive of the different types of sirens, manufacturers that make them, etc.

She mentioned this was brought up as an option solely due to the vastly rural areas of Malibu.

Rolling Hills does not have rural and secluded areas such as Malibu, CA or Paradise, CA (these were the 2 cities that were mentioned in the City Council Meeting in comparison)
Rolling Hills is 3 square miles on the top of the hill.  If we install sirens, Laguna Beach and Malibu will hear it!  The surrounding cities will hear it and not know what it means. It will disrupt nature and is a huge eyesore for a community that has the best views on the whole Peninsula.

I hope this report helps solidify that installing sirens is not the best solution for fire notifications.

I would suggest the City Council Rolling Hills reach out to the City of Malibu and speak directly with their Fire Liaison at their City Council, who is a retired fire captain and is very involved with fire safety and brainstorming instead of reacting.

The city of Malibu also received federal or state grant money for these reports, so we do not have to waste our budget on these items and focus more on other items.
288
4/19/22, 3:31 PM Mail - Elaine Jeng - Outlook
https://outlook.office.com/mail/id/AAQkAGY2NmQyYmFiLWI1YWMtNDlhOC05ZmVlLWRkN2U0YzQ1MGQ5MwAQAH8%2BwgslE3xOuXjrMLLsquY%3D 3/4 When deciding on whether to install sirens or not, I think it is best to take a step back and define the problem.  Define the root cause of the problem and then you can start defining solutions.  I do not believe all residents in Rolling Hills are at a high fire risk.  Some are, but not all.

Once you define who is most at risk you can start to decide the best course of action to solve the notification problem with time, cost, investment and future solutions in mind.  Let's not waste budget dollars and invest in outdated technology.

I also believe if brush clearance along the south side of Rolling Hills is difficult that we can also look into utilizing goats that are herded by 3rd party companies to clear the brush (which is what some counties and cities are doing currently in Northern California as they are a great natural remedy to help stomp (and compost down) weeds and eat the vegetation that are fire hazards.

I hope I can be a resource if any questions arise.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you,
Kamran Jahangard
CEO
Nationwide Investment Group Inc
310.337.0606 Office
818.652.8297 Cell
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Susan Duenas <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2022 at 12:31 PM
Subject: Sound study
To: [email protected] <kamran@nationwideinvestment.com> Cc: Gabriel Etcheverry <[email protected]>
289
4/19/22, 3:31 PM Mail - Elaine Jeng - Outlook
https://outlook.office.com/mail/id/AAQkAGY2NmQyYmFiLWI1YWMtNDlhOC05ZmVlLWRkN2U0YzQ1MGQ5MwAQAH8%2BwgslE3xOuXjrMLLsquY%3D 4/4 Hi Kamran,
Nice chatting with you today. As requested, attached is the sound study that the City had done. Also, cc’d on this email is Gabe Etcheverry our Fire Safety Liaison. He can be reached at 424-422-8802. As I said on the phone, he is out this week, but should be available next week. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Happy Friday!
Susan Duenas
Public Safety Manager
City of Malibu
(310) 456-2489 x313
290
MissionCriticalPartners.com
Dallas Office | 502 N. Carroll Ave. Suite 120 | Southlake, TX 76092 | 888.8.MCP.911 or 888.862.7911 Siren Feasibility Report
Final Report
PREPARED JULY 2020

FOR THE CITY OF MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
291
i
Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... 1 1 Background............................................................................................................................. 2 2 Methodology............................................................................................................................ 3

2.1 Project Kickoff Meeting ..........................................................................................................3

2.2 On-Site Information Gathering ...............................................................................................3

2.3 Sound Propagation Analysis ..................................................................................................3

2.4 OWS Planning Study .............................................................................................................4 3 Findings .................................................................................................................................. 4

3.1 Sites ......................................................................................................................................4

3.2 Current State of Alert and Notification....................................................................................5 4 Assessment............................................................................................................................. 8

4.1 Technology Overview ............................................................................................................8

4.1.1 Principle of Sound ............................................................................................................................... 8

4.1.2 Outdoor Sound Propagation ............................................................................................................... 9

4.1.3 Siren Sound Generation.................................................................................................................... 10

4.1.4 Siren Sound Propagation/Coverage ................................................................................................. 11

4.1.5 Siren Performance Measurements ................................................................................................... 11

4.1.6 Siren System Features...................................................................................................................... 12

4.1.7 Market Research............................................................................................................................... 14

4.2 Alert and Notification Operational Overview.........................................................................14

4.2.1 Operationalizing Alerting ................................................................................................................... 15

4.3 Siren Coverage Predictions .................................................................................................16

4.4 Inter-connecting Network .....................................................................................................19 5 Options.................................................................................................................................. 21

5.1 Option #1 – 6 Sites, High Power Sirens ...............................................................................21

5.2 Option #2 – 20 Sites, Mix of High and Low Power Sirens.....................................................22

5.3 Option #3 – 33 Sites, Low Power Sirens..............................................................................23 6 Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................................... 25 Appendix A – Siren Coverage Maps............................................................................................ 26 Appendix B – Alerting Technologies ............................................................................................ 40 Appendix C – Product Information ............................................................................................... 45 Appendix D – Additional Resources for Emergency Alerting and Communication.......................48 292
ii
Table of Figures
Figure 1: DSA Directional Speaker Array (Federal Signal)...........................................................................11 Figure 2: WPS4000 Series Rotating Siren (Whelen) ....................................................................................11 Figure 3: WPS2900 Series Omni-directional Siren (Whelen) .......................................................................11 Figure 4: Digital VHF Coverage Study...........................................................................................................20 Table of Tables
Table 1: Sound Loss Indoors...........................................................................................................................9 Table 2: Siren Manufacturers ........................................................................................................................14 Table 3: Coverage Modeling Scenarios ........................................................................................................18 Table 4: Sound Levels (dB) and Relative Loudness of Typical Noise Sources............................................19 Table 5: Network Solutions Advantages and Disadvantages .......................................................................20 Table 6: Option #1 Cost Estimate..................................................................................................................21 Table 7: Option #2 Cost Estimate..................................................................................................................23 Table 8: Option #3 Cost Estimate..................................................................................................................24 293
1 Executive Summary
Mission Critical Partners, LLC (MCP) was retained by the City of Malibu, California, to investigate the feasibility of providing a siren alerting and warning system. The intent of the system is to provide mass alerting and warning in the event of natural and manmade disasters including wildfires, terrorist events, and severe weather.

MCP would like to thank Malibu public safety employees for providing outstanding support throughout the feasibility study.

A siren alerting system is an outdoor warning system (OWS) designed to alert/warn the public of an event or possible event, depending on how it is utilized. While there may be instances where someone will hear a siren indoors, depending on the construction of the building, location, and distance from the siren, siren systems are for outdoor alerting. Indoor notification is not guaranteed. Sirens are just one tool used in a public safety alerting strategy and complement the use of other alerting tools.

Sirens can be tone-only or both tone and voice. Voice systems, while helpful to relay messages, also are difficult to implement in a large area with multiple sirens. The location and distance from systems and other natural and manmade obstructions, as well as atmospheric conditions, will affect the intelligibility of the outdoor message. Voice and tone components of a siren system can be integrated into indoor public address (PA) systems with additional equipment and configuration to enhance the system.

Siren systems are used to alert the public of an imminent threat. With tone systems, the activation of the sirens alerts the public to the threat; the public then should seek other information on the threat. A voice/tone system will provide the alert with a message regarding the threat and what to do. Modeled voice coverage intelligibility and coverage area will differ depending on atmospheric conditions.

MCP worked with the Malibu public safety group to identify the City-owned properties that could support a siren. Once the properties were identified, sound propagation studies were performed to provide maximum coverage within Malibu’s city limits. The models then were adjusted to provide maximum coverage within the city limits but reducing the possible sound coverage into neighboring jurisdictions. It is not possible to provide maximum coverage without some sound entering neighboring jurisdictions.

MCP estimates between 20 to 33 sirens are necessary to provide appropriate coverage in key identified areas. Final siren placements will be critical to ensure coverage during Santa Ana winds. Coverage can be obtained using a minimum of 20 sirens, but due to terrain, accessibility, and landowner permissions additional sirens may be needed. A detailed engineering design, to include final siren locations, will be necessary to determine the actual siren count and provide the predicted coverage.

The estimated installation cost of the siren system is $1.2 million to $1.9 million. These estimates were established on a base siren installation. Local code and enhanced installation costs due to final locations have not been considered. A detailed engineering design also will be required for final costing. 294
2 1 Background
The City of Malibu (City) sought a planning study for an outdoor warning system (OWS), specifically sirens, and the identification and design of multiple siren sites to ensure that the sirens are audible in all areas of Malibu (the city) when the system is activated.

Of particular concern to the City is the effects of Santa Ana winds. The National Weather Service defines Santa Ana winds as "… a weather condition in which strong, hot, dust-bearing winds descend to the Pacific Coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions.”1 Known for the dry, hot weather that they bring in autumn, the winds often bring the lowest relative humidity of the year to coastal Southern California. The low humidity, combined with the warm, compressional-heated air mass, plus high wind speeds, create critical fire weather conditions.

Malibu relies primarily on communications tools that require electricity during a disaster. These methods include web-based alerts, reverse 911-style alerts, and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Areas of the city regularly experience power outages during adverse, especially windy, weather conditions. The local utility provider utilizes a Public Safety Power Shut-off (PSPS) program during Red Flag2 weather conditions. Because of the PSPS program, residents of Malibu could possibly be without power during periods of heightened fire danger, resulting in an increased risk of not receiving important communications, including evacuation orders, via phone, internet, or radio.

Environmental events like these must be fully understood when planning and designing an OWS, so the system can clearly and effectively communicate alerts to residents and visitors. The OWS must be designed to rely on solar power and have enough battery-backup capacity to send critical alerts, when required, at night or days when the sun may be blocked by smoke or clouds.

The City contracted with Mission Critical Partners, LLC (MCP) to develop a comprehensive and actionable OWS plan to enhance its ability to disseminate emergency alerts, especially in wildfire situations that pose a threat to life and property.
1 “Santa Ana Wind.” Glossary. National Weather Service. https://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=santa+ana+wind 2 Red Flag is “a fire weather program which highlights the onset of critical weather conditions conducive to extensive wildfire occurrences.” Reference: “Red Flag.” Glossary. National Weather Service. https://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=red+flag 295
3 2 Methodology

2.1 Project Kickoff Meeting
MCP conducted a project kickoff meeting in January 2020 with the City that established mutual acquaintance, clarified roles, and confirmed the desired outcomes and deliverables. MCP took this as an opportunity to gain a mutual understanding of the City’s future vision of its proposed OWS.

2.2 On-Site Information Gathering
MCP spent time on-site gathering information to fully understand what is required of the system both operationally and technically. During the on-site interview, MCP reviewed each element of an OWS and documented expectations and requirements of the system. A key focus of the meetings was site discussion. The City provided site information in geographic information system (GIS) format.

MCP’s analysis began with City-provided sites as a priority, but also kept in mind all site options available.

While the City supports the placement of sirens in public right-of-ways, arbitrary ‘pins’ where dropped as a last resort to demonstrate the number of sites needed for this initial feasibility and budgetary exercise.

2.3 Sound Propagation Analysis
MCP conducted a sound propagation analysis. The sound study ensures that sirens are distributed optimally throughout the city by identifying coverage. Using collected data, MCP produced sound propagation maps using siren planning software to determine the levels of coverage achieved from proposed sites. The coverage models take into consideration varying geographical topology and environmental factors such as foliage and building density.

The study considered various environmental factors including:
• Ambient temperature
• Ambient humidity
• Wind speed
• Wind direction
• Building height
• Terrain
Environmental factors that will be present during Red Flag weather were important when modeling coverage, including understanding the effects of the Santa Ana winds. In addition, much of Malibu has deep canyons and steep hills, which pose a challenge for proper coverage.

The analysis resulted in recommendations for the most efficient siren distribution across the city, including:
296
4 • A sound coverage area for each proposed siren site, considering environmental data • Identification of any areas of the city in which sirens will be ineffective due to geography or other characteristics

2.4 OWS Planning Study
MCP compiled the data collected into this report, which provides a baseline assessment and includes the following:
• Design options available
• Estimated cost for each option
• Estimated ongoing maintenance costs following project completion • Maps showing range of each proposed siren
• Descriptions of recommended siren models, including visuals and detailed lists of technical features • Limitations on the effectiveness of an OWS in Malibu
3 Findings

3.1 Sites
The City provided six properties, identified on the map below, that could be used as potential sites for sirens.
• Trancas Park
− Latitude and Longitude (Lat-Long) Coordinates: 34.038916, -118.845391 − This 35-acre park has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential areas, and relatively flat geography. While the northern end of the park houses playground equipment, the southern end is primarily an open field. In particular, the 297
5 southwest corner may be viable due to its lack of impacts on residents’ ocean views and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHA).
• Heathercliff Road and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)
− Lat-Long Coordinates: 34.022118, -118.806681
− This 18-acre undeveloped lot has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential and commercial areas, relatively flat geography, and lack of impact on current land uses.
• Bluffs Park
− Lat-Long Coordinates: 34.033339, -118.702064
− This 10-acre park has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential areas, and its current use as an alternate location for the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The relevant residential neighborhoods are at a lower elevation than the park itself.
• 23575 Civic Center Way
− Lat-Long Coordinates: 34.036233, -118.691314
− This 9-acre undeveloped lot has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential and commercial areas, relatively flat geography, and lack of impact on current land uses.
• Malibu City Hall
− Lat-Long Coordinates: 34.039369, -118.692974
− City Hall has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential areas, and status as a government building. • Las Flores Park
− Lat-Long Coordinates: 34.040054, -118.637656
− This 6.7-acre park has been identified as a possible siren site based on its status as a City-owned property, proximity to residential areas, and relatively flat geography. Additionally, it is in a fireprone region of the city that was devastated by wildfire in 1993.

This site information was useful in the southern/coastal areas. For the north, arbitrary sites were dropped in to assess the number of sites that would be needed to gauge the scope of this budgetary effort.

3.2 Current State of Alert and Notification
Malibu does not currently have an OWS, although the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has public address (PA) systems on all vehicles.
298
6 If the decision is made to evacuate, shelter-in-place, or take other protective action, the City disseminates this information through multiple channels. The City may use one or all the following means of communication to issue an emergency notice to take protective action:

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
Emergency Telephone Notification System (ETNS)
PA system and vehicle sirens
City website for alerts3
Malibu City Television (TV)
Call in telephone number
The various alert and warning systems employed by the City are designed to provide timely and up to date information during an emergency. Many of the systems used to communicate emergency information are already being used to inform the public of day-to-day City business.

Wireless Emergency Alerts
WEA is part of Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). IPAWS is the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “IPAWS provides public safety officials with an effective way to alert and warn the public about serious emergencies using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, and other public alerting systems from a single interface.”4
The City only has direct access to WEA alerts, which it can issue through their ETNS.

WEA are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through the major mobile carriers. WEA are targeted to a defined geographical area. This capability allows for both the residents of a given jurisdiction and persons visiting the jurisdiction to be notified. WEA are presented differently than a typical text alert in order to differentiate it from regular notifications. They offer a unique alert tone and vibration accompanied by a brief push notification displayed uniquely on the end user’s mobile device. The public does not need to register for this service. WEA is an opt-out system. Mobile device users will receive the WEA notification unless they choose to deactivate the service on their mobile device.
3 https://www.malibucity.org/alerts 4 FEMA. Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. https://www.fema.gov/integrated-public-alert-warning-system 299
7 NOAA Weather Radio
While the City does not utilize this technology, it does work closely with the National Weather Service (NWS) and NOAA to receive ongoing updates during weather-related incidents, such as rainstorms or fire watches.

Emergency Telephone Notification System
Malibu currently uses Everbridge as its official emergency notification system, which is only used for communication of urgent information. Everbridge can be used to contact City residents, businesses, and employees. Everbridge sends emergency alert notifications via voice messages, short message service (SMS)/text messages, and email messages during times of emergencies and disasters.

PA System and Vehicle Sirens
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department can issue warnings using sirens and loudspeakers on their vehicles. Examples where this may be appropriate include:

Widespread evacuation
Hazardous materials incident
Civil disturbance
Crowd control
This method is effective in reaching most people, except those with hearing impairments. This method should be used in addition to other mass notification systems including WEA and Everbridge, as appropriate.

Alert Center
The Alert Center, a component of the City’s website Notify Me system, can provide alerts to residents and others (e.g., visitors, businesses) that wish to self-register into the system. This system is used for more day-to-day information such as beach, public health, traffic, utility, and weather information.

City Sirens
The City intends to install sirens (similar to tornado sirens) throughout the area. The sirens may be used to issue evacuation orders or shelter-in-place warnings, and more. These sirens will have the capability to project far and wide with the intent of notifying the whole community if necessary.

This assessment focuses on this form of alert and notification.

Other Emergency Information Systems
Malibu uses several other systems including a hot line that residents can call for the latest information. 300
8 .

Following the initial emergency notification, the City would utilize the means below to relay important messages to the public.

Social media
− Twitter
− Facebook
− Instagram
Media releases and E-blasts
City website Alert Center
Malibu TV 3
Electronic changeable message signs (CMS)
4 Assessment

4.1 Technology Overview
During times of emergency, communications is key to saving lives. There are several ways to communicate with the public during these situations—one very effective method is outdoor warning sirens.

OWSs can advise people that a hazard exists and, depending on the jurisdiction, what action needs to be taken. Although outdoor warning sirens serve the same primary purpose of alerting people about natural and manmade hazards, they can vary widely in terms of design, functionality, features, and performance.

4.1.1 Principle of Sound
Sound is a form of mechanical energy oscillations of pressure through the air above and below the surrounding air pressure. Three components of sound that can be distinguished by humans are loudness5, pitch6, and tone7. Sound travels at a speed of about 1,000 feet per second through the air, but wind, turbulence, humidity, and temperature can cause variations in the speed of sound.

Loudness is determined by the magnitude of sound in decibels (dB) relative to the carrier (dBc). The frequency, or pitch, components of a sound are expressed in terms of hertz (Hz). The average human hearing range is usually defined between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Lower frequencies travel farther in the air than higher frequencies, because higher frequencies attenuate more rapidly with distance. 5 The attribute of a sound that determines the magnitude of the auditory sensation produced and that primarily depends on the amplitude of the sound wave involved. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loudness 6 The property of a sound and especially a musical tone that is determined by the frequency of the waves producing it; highness or lowness of sound. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitch 7 Vocal or musical sound of a specific quality. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tone 301
9 Sound decreases in magnitude (loudness) and in dBc at greater distances from its source. This decrease is called attenuation. Factors that affect the rate of attenuation include sound frequency, terrain, prevailing winds, temperature, atmospheric stability, and humidity.

4.1.2 Outdoor Sound Propagation
As sound moves outdoors from an OWS to a potential listener, there are factors that influence the propagation of sound.

Divergence: As sound radiates away from a source, its intensity decreases with distance because the energy of its original sound pressure is spread over a larger and larger area.

Sound Absorption: Terrain and atmosphere have the most effect on outdoor sound absorption. − Refraction: Refraction of outdoor sound by temperature and wind velocity gradients is very complex. The atmospheric nonuniformity of the temperature and wind in the atmosphere produces a bending or refraction of sound waves.
− Ground Absorption: Sound propagation paths near the ground can experience additional attenuation. Acoustically “soft” surfaces such as topsoil covered with grass can cause significant attenuation. Inversely, acoustically “hard” or reflective surfaces such as asphalt, ice water, or concrete provides significantly less attenuation.

Obstructions: Sound can be blocked by barriers, vegetation, and buildings. Factors such as outdoor conditions, building construction materials, and open or closed windows can determine the level to which persons inside a building will be able to hear outside sound. The table below depicts sound loss for various types of construction.

Table 1: Sound Loss Indoors8
Building or Construction Type Sound Loss (dB)
Open Window Closed Window
Residences – light frame, single-pane windows 12 20
Residences – light frame, dual-pane or storm windows 12 25 Schools 12 25
Churches 20 30
Hospitals/Convalescent Homes 17 25
8 Reproduced from FEMA, Outdoor Warning Systems, Technical Bulletin (Version 2.0), January 12, 2006. Pg 8. 302
10 Building or Construction Type Sound Loss (dB)
Open Window Closed Window
Offices 20 30
Theaters 17 25
Hotels/Motels 17 25
Masonry wall construction – single-pane windows 12 25
Masonry wall construction – dual-pane windows 12 35
Sealed glass wall – ¼-inch glass thickness more than 50 percent of exterior wall area - 28
20 lb/ft2 solid wall – no windows, no cracks, no openings - 30 50 lb/ft2 solid wall – no windows, no cracks, no openings - 38 The effects of all the above-mentioned factors on sound attenuation outdoors is both intricate and unpredictable.

4.1.3 Siren Sound Generation
Outdoor warning sirens can be classified either as pneumatic or electronic.

Pneumatic
− Pneumatic sirens generate tones through the interaction of two principal components: a rotor and a stator. Machined into both the rotor and stator are alternating equidistant vanes, which generate tones as the rotor spins and draws air into the siren. The incoming airflow is pushed out in bursts through the stator each time its holes align with the holes of the rotor. Sound waves are produced by the
process of blocking and unblocking airflow at regular
intervals. The frequency of the air bursts determines the pitch of the siren.

Electronic
− Circuitry components such as oscillators, transistors, modulators, and speaker drivers (e.g., woofers and tweeters) generate, amplify, and produce sound waves and vary their frequency and 303
11 duration. The electronic-based system projects sound through speakers that are mounted as a horn assembly. These synthesized sounds can include customized tones or emulate the standard warning signals of pneumatic sirens, such as wail and high-low, and broadcast both live and prerecorded voice announcements.

4.1.4 Siren Sound Propagation/Coverage
Typically, there are three types of coverage patterns: directional, rotating, and omni-directional.

Directional: A highly focused cone of sound is sent out in the direction the device is pointing.

Rotating: To expand the breadth of their sound coverage areas, some directional sirens have built-in mechanisms that enable them to rotate 360 degrees around a vertical mounting unit such as a pole Omni-directional: These devices produce sound in all directions horizontally from the source Figure 1: DSA Directional Speaker
Array (Federal Signal)
Figure 2: WPS4000 Series
Rotating Siren (Whelen)
Figure 3: WPS2900 Series Omnidirectional Siren (Whelen)

4.1.5 Siren Performance Measurements
The performance of outdoor warning sirens can be assessed in various ways. Common measurements are noted below:

Sound output: the sound pressure level in decibels at a specified distance, usually 100 feet Effective range: the distance at which a siren can maintain a specified sound pressure level; typically, 60 to 70 dB
Sound radius or sound circle: the estimated range of omni-directional and rotating sirens 304
12 Beam width or sound emission arc: the breadth of a directional siren’s horizontal output measured in degrees
Intelligibility: the extent that voice announcements can be understood by the listener (applies only to sirens capable of voice announcements)

4.1.6 Siren System Features

4.1.6.1 Tone versus Voice
There is the capability of producing various tones for an outdoor siren warning system—each tone conveying a distinct message to the listener. This of course requires significant investment in public education to ensure procedures for each tone (situation) is fully understood. An effective educational campaign ensures the message of these tones is understood regardless of language, dialect, and cultural origins.

In areas with a large transient population (e.g., high volumes of seasonal workers, tourists, campers, etc.), who may not understand the meanings of the various tones, it is important to have a system in place that instructs the listener via voice as to the required procedure during the emergency situation. Depending on the demographic of the area, this may require the use of different languages. This voice option also is useful when complex instructions are required.

The best know siren sound is the alert tone used by NOAA for severe weather, which is heard on television and radio. Most of the older generation know what it means, having been accustomed to the weekly tests.

How the younger generations watch television and listen to music is different and many younger people are not exposed to the weekly or monthly tests. Foreign nationals also may not be familiar with the sounds.

It is quite likely that people will hear the sirens and then inquire as to the meaning. Again, an initial outreach program and continuing education will be necessary if multiple tones are selected to represent different situations.

The number of tones used should be kept to a minimum.

4.1.6.2 Strobes
For persons who are hearing impaired or reside in areas located beyond the outdoor siren’s audibility or intelligibility range, a visual alert is a viable option to provide additional alerting. Strobes are mechanisms to provide complementary warning capabilities to outdoor siren systems to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The strobes are only effective, however, with line of sight to the siren. If one cannot see the siren, the strobe will be ineffective. Sound coverage area is much larger than the distance a strobe can be detected.
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13 4.1.6.3 Control System
In the event of an emergency, the central control center must communicate with the siren for activation. In addition to activation, operations, monitoring, and testing rely on siren communications. This communication can be one-way or two-way.

One-way: While the central control tower can activate the warning sirens, the sirens cannot reciprocate. An advantage of this option is the low startup cost; however, the disadvantage of this type of system is the manpower needed to inspect and test the sirens.

Two-way: This option allows the siren to report back to the central control center. Advantages of this option include status reporting, real-time monitoring for tamper detection, and battery status updates.

While these capabilities come at a higher cost, they may be justified in lower maintenance and operational costs over the system’s lifetime.

4.1.6.4 Inter-connecting network
Most outdoor warning sirens require some sort of activation and control system to regulate its operation.

Sophisticated activation products have digital control units, ensuring the siren also can be operated from a computer using a wired Ethernet connection or with various wireless technologies including cellular, satellite, and radio. Features of these digital systems include the following:

Cloud-based access from any computer or mobile device, which allows the user to access their system from any computer connected to the internet
User-friendly applications for iOS and Android, including a web-based console with a mobile responsive graphical user interface (GUI)
Weather activation
Map-based activation

4.1.6.5 Power Sources
Outdoor warning sirens can be powered in a variety of ways; however, larger models designed to provide mass notification capabilities typically operate on alternating current (AC) power, with rechargeable batteries or generator for backup power. The advancements in renewable energy technologies, including wind and solar, have been leveraged by some siren manufacturers.

4.1.6.6 Installations
There are three types of installations for the poles: direct buried, pier, and ballasted.

Direct Buried: This installation is used with wood or fiberglass poles. Typically, a pole is 50 feet long.

Eight to ten feet is buried in the ground, leaving 40 to 42 feet exposed. The diameter of the hole is approximately 15 inches.
306
14 Pier: This installation is used for a steel or concrete pole. While the pole is buried to the same depth as a direct bury, more soil is disturbed as the pole diameter is larger.

Ballasted: This installation is for a galvanized steel mount and is non-penetrating. As there is no digging required, the soil is not disturbed. The base is approximately 11 feet square and requires stone as a ballast.

Once the poles are installed, the equipment can be installed. Generally, the amplifiers and strobe light, if applicable, are mounted near the top of the pole. If solar panels are used, they will be mounted on top of the amplifiers. The equipment cabinets and batteries are mounted towards the lower half of the pole. Some owners prefer to mount the equipment at a height reachable by personnel standing on the ground and others prefer to mount it higher to avoid potential tampering or theft.

4.1.7 Market Research
There are several outdoor warning siren manufacturers, listed in the table below. Appendix C, Product Information, contains specification sheets from some popular outdoor siren manufacturers. Additional information on the sirens included in this report can be obtained from the vendors listed alphabetically in this table.

Table 2: Siren Manufacturers
Vendor Phone Website/Email
Acoustic Technology Inc (ATI) (617) 567-4969 https://www.atisystems.com/about/ [email protected]
American Signal Corporation (414) 358-8000 www.americansignal.com [email protected]
Eaton (800) 631-2148 www.cooperindustries.com
Edwards Signaling (800) 655-4497 www.edwards-signals.com Federal Signal Corporation (800) 548-7229
www.fedsig.com/warning-massnotification-systems
[email protected]
Sentry Siren, Inc. (866) 427-4736 www.sentrysiren.com
[email protected]
Whelen Engineering Company, Inc. (860) 526-9504 www.whelen.com [email protected]

4.2 Alert and Notification Operational Overview
Alerting the public is one of the major functions of government in an emergency. To effectively perform these functions there are several things to consider. The first is understanding the components of effective 307
15 public alerting. Alert, warning, and notification are different actions, but all are important to protect the public.

An alert is giving notice to the public to get their attention that an event has occurred. This is often difficult in the constant noise of today’s environment. The alert is often a short sound, action, or message. For a radio listener, the alert would be the EAS tones and headline that precedes an EAS message.

A warning is used to prepare the public for a potential risk. Warnings often include actions the public can take to mitigate the impact of the risk.

A notification has more information and usually has instructions for the public to try to protect them from the event. For a radio listener, this would be the description and instructions in the EAS message.

4.2.1 Operationalizing Alerting
MCP reviewed the Malibu website and it was clear that the use of these systems has been planned in the past and used. The use of a dedicated alert webpage for information that is easy to reach works well and the hot line information is readily available to the public.

Effectively alerting the public relies on several factors and is built on actions by the alerting authority. Some of the things that can provide this are the following:

Plans: Pre-established plans outline what systems will be used by whom. These should include primary and alternate systems as well as systems used by other agencies.

Policies and Procedures: Clear policy and procedure delineate who, when, how, and why various communications will take place.

Pre-defined and Pre-approved Messaging Templates: Pre-defined messages should be developed in conjunction with a public information professional.
308
16 Training: Recurring training on the use of the systems will improve users’ skills. It is important to have multiple people trained on all systems.

Exercise: Use of these systems on a regular basis will increase effectiveness. This is a constant process with plans trained, exercised, and refined regularly. This process also helps to keep information fresh in the minds of the users.

4.2.1.1 Plans
The City of Malibu Emergency Operations Plan states that one of the emergency management goals is to “provide effective life safety measures, reduce property loss, and protect the environment.” All other plans must support these goals. To supplement this plan, the City also is in the process of developing an Alert and Warning Plan that will be consistent with the State’s Alert and Warning Guidelines, issued in 2019.

The Alert and Warning Plan will include guidelines for training, exercises, testing, and policies on emergency and non-emergency use of all systems, including the OWS once it is implemented.

4.3 Siren Coverage Predictions
MCP conducted a feasability sound propagation/coverage analysis. This study identified the number of possible sirens needed to cover the city, as Phase II would provide a more detailed design with siren locations. The siren count may change based on final site selections during the detailed design phase.

Coverage maps were created based on a model simulation developed in SoundPLAN® software. The model used to generate the sound pressure maps for Malibu divided the geographic regions by assigning a higher absorption factor to the hills and a higher reflective value to the flat land area to the south.

Additionally, the sound pressure models took multiple environmental factors into consideration including:

Temperature
Humidity
Barometric pressure
Wind speed
Wind direction
Building height
Terrain fluctuations
Meteorological assumptions used in the model are listed in the table below. 309
17 Temperature 77⁰ F
Humidity
50% Calm
11% Santa Ana
Winds
Winds
Calm and
40 mph Santa Ana
winds
Barometric
Pressure 29.92 inHg9
Siren Height 45 ft
The coverage maps developed utilized potential sites provided by the City, as noted in Section 3.1, Sites.

MCP modeled three scenarios, with four primary variations between the scenarios.

Number of sites (or site density) – Different site counts were modeled to not only depict coverage for the north and city-wide regions, but different site count scenarios were created to show a minimal and optimal site count design for the overall city-wide solution.

Siren power (or loudness) – Scenarios were modeled using either high-power sirens or a mix of highpower and low-power sirens to prevent excessive sound outside the city limits.

Effects of high winds – Environmental factors that will be present during Red Flag weather events were of importance when modeling coverage, especially understanding the effects of the Santa Ana winds.

Both phases were modeled under a no wind condition (calm day) and a Santa Ana winds condition to assist in visualizing the effects on siren coverage during a wildfire.

Indoor coverage – At the request of the City, potential indoor coverage was modeled for each scenario.

This is essentially a subtraction of 25 dB to allow for building signal loss. The value for ‘Residences – light frame, dual-pane or storm windows’ from Table 1 was used.

The table below summarizes the three scenarios (nine total maps). 9 Inch of mercury
310
18 Table 3: Coverage Modeling Scenarios
# of Sites
High or
Low Power
or Mix
Santa Ana
Winds Indoor
Scenario #1 6 High x x
Scenario #2 20 Mix x x
Scenario #3 33 Low x x
Appendix A, Siren Coverage Maps, contains the maps for the above scenarios. Each map illustrates three thresholds: yellow, green, and reddish-brown; each threshold represents sound pressure in a dB value or loudness. Yellow represents the strongest at 80 dB or greater, while reddish-brown is the weakest at 60 to 70 dB. The green threshold is 70 to 80 dB.

Most vendors design systems to have a minimal threshold of 60 to 70 dB.

Per FEMA guidelines, effective siren systems should be designed to be at least 10 dB louder than ambient levels. MCP took various measurements throughout the city and found ambient levels range from 40 to 60 dB. Being conservative, MCP used a minimal threshold of 70 dB in the coverage modeling, which is illustrated by the green shading.

To help provide a frame of reference for typical dB levels, the table below contains some common sounds and their dB ratings.

Noise level in dB (decibels)
311
19 Table 4: Sound Levels (dB) and Relative Loudness of Typical Noise Sources10 dB Outdoor Noise Levels
120 Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft. – 130 dB
110 Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft. – 118 dB 100 Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6,080 ft) before landing – 106 dB
Jet Flyover at 1,000 ft. – 103 dB
Bell J-2A helicopter at 100 ft. – 100 dB
90 Boeing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6,080 ft) before landing – 97 dB
Motorcycle at 25 feet – 90 dB
80 Car wash at 20 ft. – 89 dB
Propeller plane flyover at 1,000 ft. – 88 dB
Diesel train 45 m.p.h. at 100 ft. – 83 dB
70 Passenger car 65 m.p.h. at 25 ft. – 77 dB
Freeway at 50 ft. from pavement edge 10 a.m. – 76 dB
60 Air conditioning unit at 100 ft. – 60 dB
40 Bird calls – 44 dB

4.4 Inter-connecting Network
For control and monitoring of the siren system, a network will be needed to connect the sirens and provide connectivity back to the control point(s). There are various options available to the City, from wireless to wireline and City-owned or leased; options include the following:

Radio
Cellular
Fiber/wireline
Satellite
Most vendors offer products/solutions to facilitate each type of network, and it is the City’s decision as to which best meets its needs. There are advantages and disadvantages of each to consider. 10 Reproduced from FEMA, Outdoor Warning Systems, Technical Bulletin (Version 2.0), January 12, 2006. Pg 8. 312
20 Table 5: Network Solutions Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages
Radio • City would own/control
• Return on investment (ROI) short
term
• Reliable; redundancies built-in
• Higher capital expense up front
Cellular • Quick deployment
• Minimal capital up-front
• Least reliable; first to drop during a
power outage
• City does not own/control
Fiber / wireline • Can be advantageous if already in
place
• City would own/control
• Usually not available at all locations
• Expensive to deploy
• Bandwidth offered is not required for
this application
Satellite • Quick deployment
• Minimal capital up front
• Most expensive on-going expense
• City does not own/control
Typically, most siren systems utilize a dedicated radio system for its connectivity and communications.

These systems are simple and straight-forward. The main advantage of a radio system is that the City would own it and control it, even the frequency used; the City would need to secure a channel from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Radio technology using radio frequencies in the very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) ranges are common communication channel choices.

MCP created a coverage study, shown below, in the VHF band to assure it would cover all the siren locations.

Figure 4: Digital VHF Coverage Study
313
21 5 Options
Based on the information gathered and the assessment of that data, MCP assembled the following options available to the City.

5.1 Option #1 – 6 Sites, High Power Sirens
In this option, the initial six sites that the City provided were analyzed. High-powered sirens were modeled to show the maximum coverage possible. Please refer to Scenario #1 coverage maps in Appendix A. Note the coverage overlap between Malibu City Hall, Civic Center Way, and Bluffs Park.

This system design is recommended for effective tone alert coverage in the areas shown but is not recommended for live PA or pre-recorded voice announcements.

The budgetary cost breakdown for this option is below. Prices reflect a fully installed, turnkey system.

Table 6: Option #1 Cost Estimate
Quantity Unit Cost Extended Cost
Siren Sites
Siren 6 $16,000 $96,000
Local controller 6 $11,000 $66,000
Solar power kit 6 $3,000 $18,000
Batteries (4 each siren) 24 $375 $9,000
Radio / Satellite (local) 6 $3,500 $21,000
40 ft wood pole and installation 6 $14,000 $84,000
Central controller 1 $8,000 $8,000
PC, software (included) 1 $0 $0
Radio system 1 $100,000 $100,000
Optimization, configuration, and
training 1 $12,000 $12,000
Freight 1 $12,000 $12,000
TOTAL BUDGETARY $426,000
The budgetary cost above assumes a wooden pole. If the City desires a steel pole, an additional $10,000 per siren would need to be added, plus the cost of the pier foundation. These foundations typically are installed by a City-preferred local contractor. It is estimated that these foundations cost $3,000 to $5,000 each.

Additional assumptions:
314
22 Electric will be available at each site as the primary power source For power redundancy, all sirens have solar power and battery backup designed for a minimum of 30 minutes altering time.

Does NOT include costs for site acquisition; assumption is that sites are City-owned and available Does NOT include costs for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) adherence, legal, and FCC licensing
Radio system includes repeaters, antenna system, mounting, and wiring to siren central controller for two locations (one on roof of City Hall and the other to be determined) Annual maintenance is approximately 7 percent of the capital cost of the system Internet connectivity will be available at controller for vendor support and cloud application

5.2 Option #2 – 20 Sites, Mix of High and Low Power Sirens In this option, five of the six sites that the City provided are used. Due to the proximity of Malibu City Hall and Civic Center Way, coverage overlap is excessive; as they are essentially the same location, one site was dropped. To expand this option, additional arbitrary sites were added to provide coverage across the rest of the city.

To meet the City’s desire to have voice capability in the Zuma Beach, Point Dume, and Civic Center areas, low-powered sirens were considered, while higher powered sirens were used in the remaining areas to maximize coverage and minimize site count. Please refer to Scenario #2 coverage maps in Appendix A.

This hybrid system design provides for voice capability in the areas required and effective tone-only coverage in the remaining areas of the city.

The budgetary cost breakdown for this option is below. Prices reflect a fully installed, turnkey system. 315
23 Table 7: Option #2 Cost Estimate
Quantity Unit Cost Extended Cost
Siren Sites
Siren 20 $16,000 $320,000
Local controller 20 $11,000 $220,000
Solar power kit 20 $3,000 $60,000
Batteries (4 each siren) 80 $375 $30,000
Radio / Satellite (local) 20 $3,500 $70,000
40 ft wood pole and installation 20 $14,000 $280,000
Central controller 1 $8,000 $8,000
PC, software (included) 1 $0 $0
Radio system 1 $100,000 $100,000
Optimization, configuration, and
training 1 $40,000 $40,000
Freight 1 $40,000 $40,000
TOTAL BUDGETARY $1,168,000
The budgetary cost above assumes a wooden pole. If the City desires a steel pole, an additional $10,000 per siren would need to be added, plus the cost of the pier foundation. These foundations typically are installed by a City-preferred local contractor. It is estimated that these foundations cost $3,000 to $5,000 each.

Additional assumptions:

Electric will be available at each site as the primary power source For power redundancy, all sirens have solar power and battery backup designed for a minimum of 30 minutes altering time.

Does NOT include costs for site acquisition
Does NOT include costs for CEQA adherence, legal, and FCC licensing Radio system includes repeaters, antenna system, mounting, and wiring to siren central controller for two locations (one on roof of City Hall and the other to be determined) Annual maintenance is approximately 7 percent of the capital cost of the system Internet connectivity will be available at controller for vendor support and cloud application

5.3 Option #3 – 33 Sites, Low Power Sirens
This option provides a contrast to the other options. This option indicates what would be required if there was a city-wide requirement of both tone and voice OWS capability. Please refer to Scenario #3 coverage maps in Appendix A. This is the highest site count option. 316
24 The budgetary cost breakdown for this option is below. Prices reflect a fully installed, turnkey system.

Table 8: Option #3 Cost Estimate
Quantity Unit Cost Extended Cost
Siren Sites
Siren 33 $16,000 $528,000
Local controller 33 $11,000 $363,000
Solar power kit 33 $3,000 $99,000
Batteries (4 each siren) 132 $375 $49,500
Radio / Satellite (local) 33 $3,500 $115,500
40 ft wood pole and installation 33 $14,000 $462,000
Central controller 1 $8,000 $8,000
PC, software (included) 1 $0 $0
Radio system 1 $100,000 $100,000
Optimization, configuration, and
training 1 $66,000 $66,000
Freight 1 $66,000 $66,000
TOTAL BUDGETARY $1,857,000
The budgetary cost above assumes a wooden pole. If the City desires a steel pole, an additional $10,000 per siren would need to be added, plus the cost of the pier foundation. These foundations typically are installed by a City preferred local contractor. It is estimated that these foundations cost $3,000 to $5,000 each.

Additional assumptions:

Electric will be available at each site as the primary power source For power redundancy, all sirens have solar power and battery backup designed for a minimum of 30 minutes altering time.

Does NOT include costs for site acquisition
Does NOT include costs for CEQA adherence, legal, and FCC licensing Radio system includes repeaters, antenna system, mounting, and wiring to siren central controller for two locations (one on roof of City Hall and the other to be determined) Annual maintenance is approximately 7 percent of the capital cost of the system Internet connectivity will be available at controller for vendor support and cloud application 317
25 6 Conclusions and Recommendations
MCP believes that the proposed hybrid high/low power 20-site system is a better design and recommends that solution to the City of Malibu. This solution not only satisfies the voice requirement in the Zuma Beach, Point Dume, and Civic Center areas, but also provides tone alerting coverage across the city.

As discussed, achieving good intelligible voice across the city is difficult, but a design with more low powered sirens lends to a more intelligible message. If the City chooses to use voice messages, MCP recommends sending those messages out one siren at a time, instead of simulcasting it over all sirens at the same time; this minimizes the effects of echoes and distortion. For tone alerting, MCP recommends keeping the number of tones used to a minimum. This makes community outreach and training easier and minimizes confusion in the community by having numerous tones indicating different uses/alerts. 318
26 Appendix A – Siren Coverage Maps
Coverage maps for the three scenarios can be found on the pages that follow. 319
27 Scenario #1A – 6-site, high-power sirens
320
28 Scenario #1B – 6-site, high-power sirens, affects of Santa Ana winds 321
29 Scenario #1C – 6-site, high-power sirens, indoor coverage (25 dB) 322
30 Scenario #1D – 6-site, high-power sirens, indoor coverage (25 dB), affect Santa Ana Winds 323
31 Scenario #2A – 20-site, high- and low-power siren mix 324
32 Scenario #2B – 20-site, high- and low-power siren mix, affects of Santa Ana winds 325
33 Scenario #2C – 20-site, high- and low-power siren mix, indoor coverage (25 dB) 326
34 Scenario #2D – 20-site, high- and low-power siren mix, indoor coverage (25 dB), affects Santa Ana Winds 327
35 Scenario #3A – 33-site, low-power sirens
328
36 Scenario #3B – 33-site, low-power sirens, affects of Santa Ana winds 329
37 Scenario #3C – 33-site, low-power sirens, indoor coverage (25 dB) 330
38 Scenario #3D – 33-site, low-power sirens, indoor coverage (25 dB), affects Santa Ana winds 331
39 332
40 Appendix B – Alerting Technologies
Technology
Alert (A),
Notification (N),
or Both (A/N)
Intended
User/Audience
Time
Frame Description
Sirens A
Outdoor and
open space
public
Immediate
 One-way system for alerting the
public of emergencies
 Limited information available
 Must be followed up with where to
get detailed information
 Visitors may not know what
messages may mean
Public
Address (PA) A/N
Indoor and
outdoor open
space public
Immediate
 One-way system for alerting the
public of emergencies
 Limited information available
 Must be followed up with where to
get detailed information
 Visitors may not know what
messages may mean
Tone Alert
Radios
(TARs)
A/N Indoor public Immediate
 One-way system that can be
used to alert the public
 Provides some additional
information of actions required
 Limited to fixed sites that have
these devices
Emergency
Telephone
Notification
Systems
(ETNS)
N
Landline or preregistered
wireless phones
Near-term
 One-way system that can be
used to notify users of actions
needed
 Systems are often best effort and
have some latency based on the
system and usage at the time of
use
 Transmission of Teletypewriter
(TTY) signals required for equal
access
333
41 Technology
Alert (A),
Notification (N),
or Both (A/N)
Intended
User/Audience
Time
Frame Description
Legacy EAS A/N
Commercial
media watching
public
Near-term
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Provides a limited amount of
information
 Constrained by available types of
messages the system allows
 Local messages are not required
to be broadcast by the media
outlets
IPAWS Various—see
below Immediate
 Acts as a gateway to several
other alerting methods
 Allows users to create a single
message that is disseminated via
multiple methods
IPAWS–EAS A/N
Commercial
media watching
public
Near-term
 One-way system for inputting
messages to other systems
 Used for alerting the public and
providing a limited amount of
information
 Constrained by available types of
messages the system allows.

IPAWS–WEA A Wireless phone
public Immediate
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Provides a limited amount of
information
 Constrained by the available
types of messages the system
allows
 Uses cellular radio broadcast of a
short text to wireless phones and,
as such, may reach visitors more
easily
 Not all phones receive these
messages
 The public can disable this from
their phones
334
42 Technology
Alert (A),
Notification (N),
or Both (A/N)
Intended
User/Audience
Time
Frame Description
IPAWS–
NWEM11 A/N Weather radio users
Immediate
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Allows more detailed information
 Constrained by available
transmitters in the area
 Public must tune to these stations
 Added benefit of using weather
radio county codes for
notifications
IPAWS–AllHazards
Information
Feed
N Private service
users
Near-term
 Used by several commercial
systems
 Include popular mapping and
search engines and commercial
alerting services
Highway
traffic radios A Traveling public Near-term
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Allows more detailed information
 Constrained by available
transmitters in the area
 Public must tune to these stations
Alert
translation
services
A/N
Non-English
Speaking/Deaf
and Hard of
Hearing Public
Near-term
 One-way system usually accepts
the IPAWS feed
 Translates to ASL or other
languages and then posted to a
public website or sent via ETNS
Roadside
message
boards
A Traveling Public Near-term
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Provides a limited amount of
information
 Constrained by size of the sign
and ability of a driver to read the
sign
11 As of February 2020, the link to NWEM from IPAWS was not available to local authorities, but work continues. It is in the best interest of the local authorities to monitor this process to gain this capability when it becomes available in the future. 335
43 Technology
Alert (A),
Notification (N),
or Both (A/N)
Intended
User/Audience
Time
Frame Description
Route alerting A/N
Public in fixed
locations along
the route
Near-term
 Generally, a one-way system for
alerting the public along a route
 Takes time and resources to
cover relatively small areas
 Sound (e.g., sirens) may not
penetrate modern buildings
Drone route
alerting A/N
Outdoor and
open space
public
Delayed
 One-way system for alerting the
outdoor public
 Similar difficulties as sirens with
penetrating into buildings
 Time needed to get into service
 Limited alerting time due to
battery life
 FAA rules limit use
 Not useable in the event of
wildfire as it prevents fire-fighting
activities
Cable system
interrupt A/N Cable viewers Immediate
 One-way system for alerting the
public
 Allows more detailed information
 Constrained by the available
access
 Being replaced by other morefocused systems as cable system areas expand
Social Media N
Internet
Connected
Public
Delayed
 Used to provide information to the
public and sample public
reactions
 Can help reduce rumors
 Can be used in some cases as a
method to get reports from the
public
Press
Release N Media Delayed
 One-way system that allows for
more information to be sent to the
media
 Information is sent, but that does
not mean it will be relayed to the
public
336
44 Technology
Alert (A),
Notification (N),
or Both (A/N)
Intended
User/Audience
Time
Frame Description
Press
Conference N Media Delayed
 Two-way system that allows the
media to give feedback and
expand their understanding of the
situation
 Not all information may get to the
public
337
45 Appendix C – Product Information
Product information can be found on the pages that follow. 338
HPSS
High Powered Speaker Station
Our most powerful siren, the High Powered Speaker Station (HPSS) provides exceptional voice clarity for outdoor mass notification applications where intelligibility of pre-recorded voice messages and live Public Address (PA) is critically important. The HPSS provides up to 3200 watts of continuous audio output. It is also capable of driving strobe lights and LED message signs for visual alerting in areas with high ambient noise levels.

The unit is monitored, controlled, and activated by an ATI central control unit, such as the REACT5000 or REACT4000, or can operate standalone using the Local Operating Console (LOC) option.* Our HPSSs can support multiple simultaneous communication paths to ATI control units to provide the most robust, reliable notification system available*. All HPSSs have battery backup systems since AC power is often lost during an emergency. In addition, ATI offers a high wind solar panel option to charge the batteries where AC is not available or practical. *
Key Features
• Excellent acoustic performance and voice
intelligibility
• Up to eight 400W speaker horns and steel
speaker mounting bracket included, for
roof or pole-mount installation
• Configurable audio coverage patterns
ranging from 360° omnidirectional to
unidirectional
• NEMA 4X Stainless steel enclosure with
ventilated battery compartment, door
intrusion switch and enclosure mounting
bracket
• Unique, compact and highly efficient Class
D amplifiers with 1600/3200 watts of continuous audio output power integrated on a high-performance controller board
• Conformal-coated printed circuit boards
for operating in harsh environments
• UL464 listed option available upon request*
• Message encryption and security coding
to prevent unauthorized system activations
• Local and remote testing and reporting
including “silent” testing
• Temperature-compensated battery charger and power On/Off circuit breakers • Very low standby power requirements
and 60 minutes of continuous activation
• Flexible and redundant communication
methods including IP, Ethernet, twisted
pair/telephone cable, fiber optic, cellular
and satellite*
• Built-in tone generator providing 10 standard, pre-configured tones; up to 255 prerecorded voice messages and 100 hours of recording time
• Automatic gain control for consistent
output volume
ATI’s HPSS32 339
Acoustic Technology, Inc.
30 Jeffries Street, Boston, MA 02128
Tel: 617-567-4969 ext. 1041 Fax: 617-569-2964
www.atisystem.com
[email protected]
61116R2
All information and specifications are subject to change without notice, and may contain typographical or other errors. § Assuming 2 - 105AH batteries, with radio communication *Additional hardware/firmware may be required.

HPSS SPECIFICATIONS
Physical Attributes
HPSS16 HPSS32 400W Speaker
Length 40” 19”
Width 23” 21”
Depth 15” 24.34”
Weight (without radio/batteries) 118 lbs 126 lbs 45 lbs Electrical/Power Characteristics
HPSS16 HPSS32
Supply voltage 120VAC 60Hz 240VAC 50Hz 120VAC 60 Hz 240VAC 50Hz Supply current, max 5A 3A 5A 3A
Standby current 550mA, typical §
Standby time without AC > 3 days §
Max activation time 60 minutes (steady tone, full power) § Radio power supply 12V DC, 12A maximum*
Amplifier Characteristics
HPSS16 HPSS32
Number of 400W speakers up to 4 up to 8
Output voltage 25V
Max power (audio/strobe) 1600 W RMS 3200 W RMS
Audio Bandwidth 250 Hz - 5 kHz
Output regulation < 1dB, no load to full load
Amplifier efficiency 90%
Environmental Characteristics
Operating Temperature -40 to +80°C
Humidity 0 to 95%, non-condensing
Communication I/O
Communication to ATI units IP (Ethernet), (UHF/VHF) radio, fiber, satellite, DSL, and cellular modem* RS485/RS232 port 1, maximum (either RS485 or RS232)*
Signaling inputs 8, maximum* (configurable)
Signaling outputs 8, maximum* (configurable)
Audio out (for PA or FACP) configurable 300/600 ohm balanced or unbalanced Pre-recorded Messages/Tone Characteristics
Number of alert tones 10 pre-configured alert tones
Number of recorded messages 255, maximum
Recording time, maximum 100 hours (depends on recording content) 340

FEATURES
• Light-weight, compact design
• Utilizes Federal Signal Ultravoice™ for control and
amplification
• Excellent frequency response for clear voice
reproduction
• 360º coverage without sound variation in horizontal
planes
• Easy servicing through convenient access panels
• Anechoic chamber-certified
Federal Signal’s Modulator High Powered Speaker Array offers the same proven technology as the original Modulator with the exception of a smaller compact chassis. Modulator provides a flat frequency response up to 2000Hz producing intense warning signals and digital voice messaging over a large area. The Modulator design enables the siren to produce a high sound level and intelligible voice communications.

The innovative omni-directional electronic Modulator speaker array consists of modules that utilize four 100 watt drivers.

It also provides clear voice communication and offers warning signals which are produced by Federal Signal’s UltraVoice™ electronic controller and amplifier system. Custom tones and professionally recorded voice messages for the UltraVoice controller are available and can be purchased upon request.

The Modulator High Powered Speaker Array combined with the UltraVoice controller is ideal for community/municipal, industrial and military applications where immediate instruction is necessary.

The Modulator and UltraVoice controller can be networked via radio, IP, landline, cellular and/or satellite communications.

Powering is available in AC, DC, or solar. The system typically operates from batteries which are charged from either AC or Solar. Federal Signal can also provide customized solutions to fit your special applications.

Model MOD Series
Modulator
High Powered Omni Speaker
MODEL

ACTIVE TOTAL DECIBELS

E F F E C T I V E

RANGE HEIGHT NET WEIGHT SHIPPING WT
MODULES WATT @ 100 ' 1 @ 70 dBc IN MM L BS KG LBS KG
MOD1004B 1 400 106 dBc 1,200' 28" 71 125 56.8 264 120
MOD2008B 2 800 112 dBc 1,800' 43" 109.2 190 86.4 294 133.6 MOD3012B 3 1200 115 dBc 2,200' 57" 144.7 255 115.9 444 201.8 MOD4016B 4 1600 118 dBc 2,800' 72" 182.8 320 145.5 544 247.3 MOD5020B 5 2000 120 dBc 3,100' 86" 218.4 385 175 744 338.2 MOD6024B 6 2400 121 dBc 3,400' 101" 256.5 450 204.5 960 436.4 MOD8032B 8 3200 124 dBc 4,200' 130" 330.2 580 263.6 1392 632.7 Shown with
optional
QuadraFlare
lights
341
US - 2645 Federal Signal Dr., University Park, IL 60484 | Tel: +1 708.534.3400 | 1.800.548.7229 | Email: [email protected] | www.fedsig.com UK - Silk House, 3rd Floor, Park Green, Macclesfield, Cheshire. SK11 7NA Tel: +44 (0)1625 66 66 00

E L E C T R O N I C A N D

GIANT VOICE SYSTEMS
SYS5000 | 1219
Modulator® High Powered Omni Speaker (MOD)

SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency Response: 200-2000Hz
Color Off-White
Paint Type TGIC-polyester powder coat
Modulator Horn Type Hyperbolic flare
Horizontal Coverage 360º +/- 1 dB(C)
Diameter 35”/88.9cm
Wind Loading @ 110mph wind velocity1
:

MOD1004B 251 lbs
MOD2008B 377 lbs
MOD3012B 503 lbs
MOD4016B 629 lbs
MOD5020B 755 lbs
MOD6024B 881 lbs
MOD8032B 1133 lbs
1 Wind loading is the calculated force of wind at 110mph (shoreline), exposure D (flat, unobstructed coastal areas) on frontal area 4.64 ft. per American National Standards Institute A58.1”Minimum design loads for buildings and other
structures.”
Pole
Mounted
(Shown:

MOD6024B)
Easy
servicing
through
driver
access
panels
Radio Antenna
(if required)
sold separately
Optional
Solar
Charging
Optional
side-light kit
x4
Top light
mounting
bracket
UltraVoice is a registered trademark of Federal Signal Corporation.

HOW TO ORDER
Contact our Federal Signal Sales Engineers
to design a system that meets your specific
requirements.

Specify speaker array model number – each
speaker array model must be ordered with a
specific corresponding UV and Amplifier.

Speaker Controller1
MOD1004B UV + 1 UV400
MOD2008B UV + 2 UV400
MOD3012B UV + 3 UV400
MOD4016B UV + 4 UV400
MOD5020B UV + 5 UV400
MOD6024B UV + 6 UV400
MOD8032B UV + 8 UV400
1 Controllers available in Radio, IP, and Landline.

Note: 40 feet of cable is supplied with siren. Extension cable in 10 foot increments is also available. Mounting the UV controller further than 100 feet is not recommended (further mounting may decrease power output).

Description Part Number
Flashing light for top of MOD 191XL-024*
Red Quadraflare 4 light kit MOD-QF-KIT
Blue Quadraflare 4 light kit MOD-QF-KIT-B
* Indicates color: (A) Amber, (B) Blue, (C) Clear, (G) Green or (R) Red
Description Part Number
Driver, 100 watt K8570063A

REPLACEMENT PART

ACCESSORIES
342
Type II
Electronic
Cabinet
WPS2901 One Cell
Whelen's Mass Notification
WPS2900 Series omnidirectional voice product
delivers clear, powerful
voice communication.

SYSTEM FEATURES ■ WPS2901 – One omni-directional speaker cell assembled in a vertical column
■ Two compartment (Type II) natural finish
aluminum or stainless steel cabinet
■ Speaker cell includes one high efficiency
400 watt speaker driver
■ 50’ (15.24m) cable included ■ Pole top mounting bracket included ■ Public address and pre-recorded voice message capability
■ Local or remote controls available ■ Battery powered ■ One power amplifier ■ AC temperature compensated “tri-mode” 10 amp battery charger
■ Electronic controller ■ Tone Generator Timer ■ Local control push-buttons ■ Battery switch ■ RDVM1G – digital voice 1-28 message capable ■ SI TEST ® ■ SLIDEOUT ™ battery tray ■ Lightning arrestor ■ Six standard warning tones – Wail, Whoop, Alert, Attack, Hi-Lo, Airhorn
SYSTEM OPTIONS ■ Solar option – 2 each 80 watt panels,
with brackets and solar regulator
■ Batteries – 2 each Delco S2000 or
Interstate Workaholic 31-MHD Batteries.

Check Whelen’s web site, www.whelen.com,
for other recommended batteries
■ Microphone – for use at the cabinet (locally)
or at the control point (remotely)
■ VisuAlert
™ – Omni-Directional visual warning
Model VALERT* for 2900 Series
■ L31H*F4 – Top mount high dome beacon
for 2900 Series, 24 VDC

ACTIVATION CONTROLS
Our VHF and UHF radio narrow-band
control packages feature Whelen protocol

COMM/STAT
™ and include the following:
■ Radio ■ Radio interface ■ Tone or digital squelch ■ 3-5 dB gain omni-directional antenna with bracket
■ 35’ (10.67m) of RG58 antenna cable ■ Polyphaser ■ SI TEST ■ Low battery alarm (two-way only) Mass Notification Warning Product
Other features are dependent upon one or
two-way controls. Whelen equipment can be
interfaced with many different types of two-way
radio communications products and systems,
from ACE, MOSCAD and FSK.

The following is available as standard options.

BOLD BLUE in callout indicates the Whelen Model:

ONE-WAY CONTROLS ■ AUXIN – Auxilliary board for contact closure activation
■ D2030LL – 10 digit DTMF Landline ■ D2030NV – 10 digit DTMF VHF High-Band Narrow-Band/138-174 MHz
■ D2030NU – 10 digit DTMF UHF Narrow-Band
/450-470 MHz
■ WPSTT – Two-tone sequential option
(one-way radio package must be ordered
from above options)
TWO-WAY CONTROLS ■ AUXCS – Two-way contact closure
activation and status board
■ C2030LL – Two-way landline activation ■ C2030NV – 10 digit DTMF VHF High-Band Narrow-Band/138-174 MHz
■ C2030NU – 10 digit DTMF UHF Narrow-Band
/450-470 MHz
OPTIONS ■ STATUS – Cabinet window LED status indicator ■ PGINT – Paging interface ■ INTRUWPS – Intrusion Alarm Optional

VALERTR
Solar SBC280
option
343
Drip Loop
Aluminum to Copper
Ground Lug.

Flex Conduit *
(Metal Bonded Type-only)
A B C
* CustomerSupplied
Ground Rods* Perspec, or
Grounding per Local Codes.
50'
(15.24m)
(typ)
A) .75” (19.05mm) Dia.

Conduit A.C.Power Input
B) .75” (19.05mm) Dia.

Conduit- Antenna Cable
C) 1.00” (25.4mm) Dia.

Conduit- Speaker Drivers
and Solar
1 Point Rack, Spool
Insulator and
Service Clamp for
AC Supply.*
10' (3.04m) - 12' (3.65m) (typ)
(4) 10' (3.04m) Sections of
1” (25.4mm) (1.25", 31.75mm)
If equipped with optional
beacon) Rigid Steel Conduit
Aluminum to
Copper Ground Lug.

Note: Antenna
installation must be
incompliance with
all FCC regulations.

Pole Setting Depth
Per Local Codes
Weather Head For
Service Entrance.*
Note: Avoid Sharp Bends
in the Ground Wires
2 Pole, 15A (min.), NEMA #3R
A/C Disconnect.*
.625" (15.87mm) -9 thruHex Head
or Square Head Bolts.
(6 Places)
Mounting Bracket (4)
Aluminum Cabinet (2)
4AWG (21.5mm)
(minimum)
Solid Copper Wire
Antenna Ground.*
4Awg (21.5mm) (minimum)
Solid Copper Wire
Cabinet Ground.*
Ground Wires tied
to Ground Rod Per
Spec. or Local Code.
4Awg (21.5mm) (minimum)
Solid Copper Wire
Speaker/Antenna
Ground.*
HEIGHT
(see chart)

33.4"
(84.84cm)
Optional
L31 LED
Pole Top Bracket
Customer
Supplied Pole

9.5" (24 cm) Dia.
(+/- 0.5)
12" (30cm) 13.5” (34cm)

30.5"
(77.5cm)
18” (46cm)

7.5"
(19cm) 4.5”(11cm)
10" (25cm) 11" (27cm)
1” (25mm)
Clearence
between top
of pole and
inside bottom
of bracket
30"
(76cm)
18” (46cm)
■ Battery Charger Input: 120VAC, 60Hz, 7A fuse (240VAC 50/60 Hz available) ■ Battery Charger Output: 28VDC, 10A (nominal)
■ Batteries: (2) 12V, 115AH lead calcium
■ Standby Current: 82mA, 24VDC
■ Operating Current: 23A, 24VDC
■ Power Amplifier Output Power: Tone: 400 watts, Voice: 500 watts ■ Operating Temperature: -35°C to +60°C
■ Storage Temperature: -65°C to +125°C
■ Humidity, Non Condensing: 0 to 95%

BASIC SYSTEM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING
■ WPS2901 – Speaker assembly with 50’ (15.24m) cable & electronics cabinet with all the standard components including voice board for 1-28 pre-recorded messages and Pole Top Bracket

OPTIONS
■ AUXIN (one-way) / AUXCS (two-way) – Auxiliary boards for contact closure activation
■ D2030LL / D2030NV / D2030NU – One-way controls
■ C2030LL / C2030NV / C2030NU – Two-way controls
■ WPSTT – Two-tone sequential
■ STATUS – Cabinet window LED status indicator
■ PGINT – Paging interface
■ INTRUWPS – Intrusion alarm (two-way only)
■ MSGPROG – Custom pre-recorded messages
■ MSGPROGL – Whelen library messages
■ WPSNCMIC – Microphone for public address use at the cabinet ■ WPSBATT – One pair of Whelen approved batteries
■ RTM – Roof top mount
■ SBC280 – Solar option

OPTIONAL LIGHTING ACCESSORIES
■ VALERT* – VisuAlert™ lighting accessory
■ L31H*F4 – L31 LED, 24VDC
■ LCWPS – LED controller with mounting plate, hardware and harnessing for L31 & L32
■ LEDCTRL – LED controller only
* Specify color A=Amber, B=Blue, R=Red, C=White/Clear
Wattage: 400 watts
Estimated 70dB Range: 1,500 ft / 458 m
Weather, terrain and other structures may impact the range. Each siren within the system may have a decreased or increased range depending on conditions beyond our control.

Component Height
Inches (CM)
Width
Inches (CM)
Depth
Inches (CM)
Weight
Lbs. (kg)
WPS2901 Speaker 18.8 (47.75) 33.40 (84.84) - 119 (53.98) Electronics Cabinet
Type II (Aluminum)* 60.50 (153.67) 33.20 (84.33) 12 (30.50) 132 (59.90) Pole Top Bracket 30.5 (77.47)
(with top plate)

12.0 (30.50) x

13.5 (34.30) See Drawing 71 (32.20)
Batteries add 115 lbs. (52.16 kg) *Stainless cabinet option adds 58 lbs. (26.31 kg).

Pallets, boxes and skids add weight. Check with Whelen if a freight quote is needed.

WPS2901 One Cell
Specifications
ISO 9001 Registered QMS
“Our Mass Notification Products
Speak for Themselves”™

MASS NOTIFICATION PRODUCTS
Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
51 Winthrop Road
Chester, Connecticut 06412-0684
860-526-9504
800-637-4736
www.whelen.com
[email protected]
Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.
reserves the right to upgrade its products with
design improvements without notification.
© 2019 Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.

Printed in the U.S.A.
11684K - 09/26/19
WARNING: This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, visit whelen.com/regulatory.

Acoustic Performance
Environmental
Ordering Information
Electrical
344
48 Appendix D – Additional Resources for Emergency Alerting and Communication
Additional resources are provided below.

Public Safety Communications, Ten Keys to Improving Emergency Alerts, Warnings, & Notifications. April 2019
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ten_keys_to_improving_emergency_alerts_warnings_n otifications.pdf
Public Safety Communications, Essentials of Alerts, Warnings, & Notifications. May 2019 https://www.natoa.org/documents/CISA%20Essentials%20of%20AWNs.pdf Guide to Implementing the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). Version 2, February 2019
https://www.cseppportal.net/Training%20Documents/IPAWS_Implementation%20Guide_Final_FEB2019_ Version%202.pdf
345
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https://www.weather.gov/nwr&ln_desc=NOAA+Weather+Radio/ 1/2 NOAA Weather Radio
National Program
NOAA Weather Radio
Weather.gov > NOAA Weather Radio
Report an Outage
View Outages
NWR Stations that have either degraded
performance or are currently offline.

This information was current on:

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:05:19 GMT
Legend
DEGRADED - Indicates that a transmitter is operational but experiencing a temporary reduction in the quality of service such as coverage area, audio quality, etc.

OUT OF SERVICE - Indicates transmitter is temporarily non operational due to problems such as a power outage, antenna damage, etc.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
(NWR) is a nationwide network of
radio stations broadcasting continuous
weather information directly from the
nearest National Weather Service
office. NWR broadcasts official
Weather Service warnings, watches,
forecasts and other hazard information
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Working with the Federal
Communication Commission's (FCC)
Emergency Alert System , NWR is an
"All Hazards" radio network, making it
your single source for comprehensive
weather and emergency information.

In conjunction with Federal, State, and
Local Emergency Managers and other
public officials, NWR also broadcasts
warning and post-event information for
all types of hazards – including natural
(such as earthquakes or avalanches),
environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).

Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes more than 1000 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Broadcasts are found in the VHF public service band at these seven frequencies (MHz):
162.400 162.425 162.450 162.475 162.500 162.525 162.550 Special Notices
Click on [+] to see more [-] to see less
[+] "Beeping" on certain Midland receivers and the weekly test [+] WXJ35 Portales, NM is out of service (4/12/2022)
[+] WXL90 Des Moines, NM is out of service (3/29/2022)
[+] WWG76 Kulani Cone, HI is degraded (3/24/2022)
[+] WZ2540 North Kohala, HI is degraded (3/24/2022)
[+] WWF39 Hawaii Kai, HI is degraded (3/24/2022)
[+] WXK58 Reno, NV transmitter is degraded (3/23/22)
[+] WXM35 Hays, KS transmitter is degraded (3/3/22)
[+] WXN61 Sidney, NE transmitter is out of service (2/11/22) [+] WWF37 Carlsbad, NM transmitter is out of service (2/11/22) [+] WXN92 Harrison, AR transmitter is degraded (2/28/22) NWS is proposing a national expansion of Partial County Alerting and welcomes public comments through March 1, 2022.

See Public Information Statement and PCA Proposed National Expansion page.

Deletion of Valdez-Cordova Census Area and Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Code and Addition of Chugach Census Area and Copper River Census Area with New FIPS Codes, This change has taken place for NWS Products, Services, and Systems.

See PNS22-15
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Coverage
Home Outages FAQ Coverage About Alert Information
Leaflet
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https://www.weather.gov/nwr&ln_desc=NOAA+Weather+Radio/ 2/2 [+] KHB49 San Francisco, CA transmitter is degraded (1/21/22) [+] WXN24 Artesia, NM transmitter is Out of Service (1/19/22) [+] Multiple Alaska transmitters are Out of Service (1/12/22) [+] KWN60 Lamar, CO transmitter is Out of Service (12/31/21) [+] WNG728 Bellflower, MO transmitter is Out of Service (07/16/21) 347
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NOAA Weather Radio
Type Weather radio/civil
emergency services
Branding NOAA Weather
Radio All Hazards
Country United States
Availability National (through
radio transmitters,
some commercial
radio and television
outlets, and Internet
availability via
streaming audio from
other organizations)
Founded 1954 (aviation
weather)
1958 (general/marine
weather)
by National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
Radio
stations
5-1,000W VHF-FM
transmitters
Owner NOAA/National
Weather Service
Parent National Oceanic and
NOAA Weather Radio
NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather
Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. The routine programming cycle includes local or regional weather forecasts, synopsis, climate summaries or zone/lake/coastal waters forecasts (when applicable). During severe conditions the cycle is shortened into: hazardous weather outlooks, short-term forecasts, special weather statements or tropical weather summaries (the first two aren't normally broadcast in most offices). It occasionally broadcasts other nonweather related events such as national security statements, natural disaster information, environmental and public safety statements (such as an AMBER Alert), civil emergencies, fires, evacuation orders, and other hazards sourced from the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System.

NOAA Weather Radio uses automated broadcast technology
(since 2016: Broadcast Message Handler) that allows (and frees NWS staff as well) for the recycling of segments featured in one broadcast cycle seamlessly into another and more regular updating of segments to each of the transmitters. It also speeds up the warning transmitting process.

Weather radios are widely sold online and in retail stores that specialize in consumer electronics in Canada and the U.S.

Additionally, they are readily available in many supermarkets and drugstores in the southern and midwestern US, which are particularly susceptible to severe weather—large portions of these regions are commonly referred to as "Tornado Alley".

History
Expansion
Operations
Radio
Television
Broadcast schedule
Broadcast routine
Weather radio receivers
Radio frequencies used
Contents
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Atmospheric
Administration
Launch
date
1950s (in selected
cities)
1967 (nationwide)
Official
website
www.weather.gov
/nwr/ (https://www.we
ather.gov/nwr/)
A picture of the NOAA WR-120 EZ
Weather Radio.

NOAA Radio Station in Robinson,
TX (November 23, 2021)
Channel designations
Present day
Coverage
Alerting
Emergency alert test procedure
Voices
System upgrades
1990s Console Replacement System
2002 Voice Improvement Program
Broadcast Message Handler
Wireless NOAA Weather Radio Stations
Human voices
Broadcasting-in-Spanish
Live streaming
See also
References
External links
NOAA Weather Radio brochure evolution
The U.S. Weather Bureau first began broadcasting marine weather information in Chicago and New York City on two VHF radio stations in 1960 as an experiment.[1][2] Proving to be successful, the broadcasts expanded to serve the general public in coastal regions in the 1960s and early 1970s.[3] By early 1970, ESSA listed 20 U.S. cities using 162.55 MHz and one using 163.275 "ESSA VHF Radio Weather."[4] Later, the U.S.

Weather Bureau adopted its current name, National Weather Service (NWS), and was operating 29 VHF-FM weather-radio transmitters under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which replaced ESSA in 1970.[1] The service was designed with boaters, fishermen, travelers and more in mind, allowing listeners to quickly receive a "life-saving" weather bulletin from their local weather forecast office (WFO), along with routinely updated forecasts and other climatological data in a condensed format at any time of the day or night. The general public could have the latest weather updates when they needed them, and the benefit of more lead-time to prepare during severe conditions. In 1974, NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), as it was now called, reached about 44 percent of the U.S. population over 66 nationwide transmitters.[3] NWR grew to over 300 stations by the late 1970s.[2]
Local NWS staff were the voices heard on NWR stations from its inception until the late 1990s when "Paul" was introduced.[5][6] The messages were recorded on tape, and later by digital means, then placed in the broadcast cycle. This technology limited the programming variability and locked it into a repetitive sequential order. It also slowed down the speed of warning messages when severe weather happened, because each NWS office could have up to eight transmitters.[5] "Paul" was a computerized voice using the DECtalk text-to-speech system.[5] "Paul's" voice was dissatisfactory and difficult to understand; thus "Craig", "Tom," "Donna" and later "Javier" were introduced in 2002 using the Speechify text-to-speech system from SpeechWorks (not to be confused with the iOS app of the same History 0:00 MENU
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name).[5][6] A completely new voice from the VoiceText text-to-speech system, also named “Paul”, was introduced in 2016 and implemented nationwide by late in the year. Live human voices are still used occasionally for weekly tests of the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) and 1,050 Hz tone alerting systems, station IDs, and in the event of system failure or computer upgrades. They will also be used on some stations for updates on the time and radio frequency.

In the 1990s, the National Weather Service adopted plans to implement SAME technology nationwide; the roll-out moved slowly until 1995, when the U.S. government provided the budget needed to develop the SAME technology across the entire radio network. Nationwide implementation occurred in 1997 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the SAME standard as part of its new Emergency Alert System (EAS).[1] NOAA Weather Radio's public alerting responsibilities expanded from hazardous weather-only events to "all hazards" being broadcast.[7] In the wake of the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, one of the key recommendations from the U.S. Weather Bureau's storm survey team, was the establishment of a nationwide radio network that could be used to broadcast weather warnings to the general public, hospitals, key institutions, news media, schools, and the public safety community. Starting in 1966, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) started a nationwide program known as "ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network." In the early 1970s, this was changed to NOAA Weather Radio.[8][4] The service was expanded to coastal locations during the 1970s in the wake of Hurricane Camille based upon recommendations made by the Department of Commerce after the storm in September 1969.[9] Since then, a proliferation of stations have been installed and activated to ensure near-complete geographical coverage and "weather-readiness", many of which have been funded by state emergency management agencies in cooperation with the NOAA to expand the network, or state public broadcasting networks. To avoid interference and allow for more specific area coverage, the number of frequencies in use by multiple stations grew to two with the addition of 162.400 MHz in 1970 followed by the third (162.475) in 1975 with the remaining four (162.425, 162.450, 162.500 & 162.525) coming into use by 1981.[10][11][12][13]
In the 1950s, the Weather Bureau started with KWO35 in New York City and later added KWO39 in Chicago.[8] By 1965 it had added KID77 in Kansas City, home to the Severe Local Storms Center, as the third continuous VHF radio transmitter with the fourth, KBA99 in Honolulu, operating by January 1967.[14][15][16]
Denver became the 60th NWR station in September 1972 and by December 1976 there were roughly 100 stations transmitting on three channels in December 1976.[17][18] Growth accelerated in the mid1970s with NWR reaching 200 radio stations in May 1978 with WXK49 in Memphis, Tennessee; 300 in September 1979 with WXL45 in Columbia, Missouri; and by 1988, the NWS operated about 380 stations covering approximately 90 percent of the nation's population.[19][20][21] This grew to over 500 radio stations by May 1999, and over 800 by the end of 2001.[22][1] As of January 2020, there were about 1,032 stations in operation in fifty states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan, with over 95% effective coverage.[23] Expansion
Operations
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The NOAA Weather Radio network is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA also provides secondary weather information, usually limited to marine storm warnings for sea vessels navigating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, to HF band "time stations" WWV and WWVH. These shortwave radio stations continuously broadcast time signals and disseminate the "official" U.S. Government time, and are operated by the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The radio service transmits weather and marine forecasts (where applicable) and other related information, without any interruptions. In addition, NWR works in cooperation with the FCC's Emergency Alert System (EAS), providing comprehensive severe weather alerts and civil emergency information. In conjunction with federal, state and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR has the ability to broadcast alerts and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), human-made (such as chemical releases or oil spills), technological (such as nuclear power plant emergencies) and other public safety (such as "AMBER alerts" or 9-1-1 telephone outages). Listening to a NOAA Weather Radio station requires a specialized VHF radio receiver or scanner capable of receiving at least one of seven specific VHF-FM channels within the frequency range of 162.400 through 162.550 MHz, collectively known as the "Weather Band". For example, a receiver that only tunes in standard AM or FM broadcast stations will not suffice.

Many cable television systems and some commercial television stations will, during EAS activation, rebroadcast the audio of a warning message first heard on their local NWR station, to alert viewers of a severe weather event or civil emergency, usually with the issuance of a tornado warning or tornado emergency, especially in tornado-prone areas of the country.

Local NOAA offices update the broadcast content on a regular basis, according to the following schedule:

Updates are typically recorded once per hour, and are broadcast at 5 or 10, and at 15 minutes past the hour. A complete detail of current weather conditions (current sky condition, temperature, dew point, humidity, wind speed/direction and barometric pressure) for the main reporting station in the station's city of license.

Radio
Television
Broadcast schedule
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Local
time
Update
01:00–
12:00
Area climate summary played in 15-minute intervals during this period 04:30 Regional forecast updated
05:00–
07:00
Regional Weather Synopsis updated at least once during this period. 07:00
Hazardous weather outlook and call for action for NWS-trained SKYWARN volunteer weather spotters (if warranted).
07:00 Regional climate summary is recorded sometime between 18:00 the previous night and 07:00 each day. 10:30 Regional forecast updated
12:00
Hazardous weather outlook and call for action for NWS-trained SKYWARN volunteer weather spotters (if warranted).
13:00–
15:00
3- to 5-day extended forecast, updated twice a day during this period. 15:30 Regional forecast updated
16:00–
22:00
Regional Weather Synopsis updated at least once during this period. 17:00–
21:00
Area climate summary is played in 15-minute intervals during specific days of the week. 20:30 Regional forecast updated
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards has a multi-tier concept for forecasting or alerting the public to all types of weather. Actual forecasts vary by the area that the transmitter serves. During severe weather situations, Watch Information Statements for government-designated jurisdictions served by the local NWR station are typically inserted within the station's normal playlist of routine products; a special severe weather playlist temporarily suspends most regularly scheduled routine products in the event National Weather Service-issued warnings (mainly severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood warnings) are in effect for the station's broadcast area, which solely incorporate watch, warning and Special Weather Statements, and any active Short-Term Forecasts and Hazardous Weather Outlooks.

NOAA Weather Radio is a continuous spoken weather service meaning people can quickly switch on for the latest weather information before switching back to whichever station they are listening to.

Broadcast routine
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Segment
On-air
updates
Description
Hourly Weather
Roundup
:05/:10/:15
past the
hour
A one-minute segment detailing the current weather conditions for the station's region (consisting of current sky condition, temperature, dew point, humidity, wind speed/direction and barometric pressure), current observations within 50– 75 miles, then current observations within 250 miles of WFO area of responsibility, and finally the main reporting station's current conditions being repeated once again.

If no report is available from the main reporting station, the report of the closest observation site will be substituted. In some locales, if a regularly-reported station has no available report, the message "the report from TSA was not available" will be broadcast. The regional portion may be condensed to a roundup format if the temperatures are within a 5 °F range or if sky conditions are the same or differ limitedly at each given reporting site.

Occasionally, due to technical or other problems, the previous hour's observations segment may be included in the product playlist as long as 15 minutes into the next hour, after which it is removed until updated information is available.

Hazardous
Weather Outlook
7:00 a.m.
and
12:00 p.m.
(if needed)
This segment overviews the information about potential thunderstorm activity (including any areas forecast to be under threat of severe thunderstorms), heavy rain or flooding, winter weather, wildfire, extremes of heat or cold, or other conditions that may pose a hazard or threat to travel, life or property over the next seven days. Occasionally, a NWS WFO may update the Hazardous Weather Outlook while an event is ongoing or if forecast models denote changes from previous forecasts. Depending on the NWS office, it may either state all weather hazards from Day 1–7 or Day 1 separately from Day 2–7.

Regional Weather
Synopsis/Summary
Every 5–6
hours
(starting
from 3:00 or
5:00 a.m.
depending
on the
station)
A report that provides a brief overview of weather events from the previous or current day within the region, followed by an outlook of expected weather from the current time to the next few days.

Regional Climate
Summary
Every 15
minutes
(overnights,
mornings
and
evenings)
A summary includes information on the minimum and maximum temperatures recorded the previous day; 30-year temperature averages and historical temperature extremes. It also includes wind speed data, sky cover data, historical humidity extremes, humidity averages, the day's recorded weather conditions and heating with(out) cooling degree day data. Depending on the areas, the sunrise and sunset times for the next two days are stated within the summary or as a separate report.

Some stations broadcast this first report as early as 1:00 a.m. and the last report as late as 12:00 p.m.

Regional Forecast
4:00 a.m.
and
3:30 p.m.
(more if
needed)
A report that provides the forecasts for the next seven days for all the counties across the station's coverage area. In case the time for the updates on another segment has not come yet, this forecast will typically be broadcast on a looped format.

Short Term
Forecast
Randomized
times
A localized, event-driven report used to provide the public with detailed weather information during significant or rapidly changing weather conditions during the next 3–6 hours. This forecast will often mention the position of precipitation as detected by radar. In most areas, this forecast product is not included during routine programming, but will be included when severe weather threatens the listening area.

Special Weather
Statement
A regional event-driven report using to provide the public with details of the upcoming significant weather event, such as a major winter storm, a heat wave, or potential flooding. A significant weather advisory may be issued within a Special Weather Statement, often if thunderstorm activity whether severe or not is occurring in, or approaching an area.
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Record Information
Announcement
A segment providing newly set records for coldest/warmest maximum or minimum temperature and maximum precipitation.

Zone Forecast
Depending
on the office
A text forecast for local beaches issued by coastal stations, including coastal hazard information such as that pertaining to rip currents. In more coastal offices, this forecast is scheduled to play every cycle, compared to every half hour in more inland offices.

River Forecast If needed
This forecast is only broadcast if there is a potential for flooding or it is occurring, which would then be included with the hazardous weather outlook.

Daily river forecasts are issued by the 13 river forecast centers using hydrologic models based on variables such as rainfall, soil characteristics and precipitation forecasts. Some forecasts, especially those in mountainous regions, also provide seasonal snow pack and peak flow forecasts. A separate forecast, River and Small Stream Observations, is broadcast in areas in and outside the 13 river forecast centers and is only broadcast following a significant hydrological event featuring information on crests, and present and forecasted flood stages.

Lake Forecast
A forecast that is issued by most stations in the Great Lakes region to explicitly state expected weather conditions within the marine forecast area through the next five days. The report addresses expected wave heights and small-craft advisories currently in effect.

Coastal Waters
Forecast
A forecast stating expected weather conditions and wave heights within the marine forecast area through the next five days.

Tropical Weather
Summary
Every three
hours (only
if needed)
An event-driven report provides an information summary on any active tropical cyclones. Activity summaries for the Atlantic Basin are typically included with stations located in states near the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, while stations along the West Coast receive summaries concerning the Pacific Ocean. Depending on the station and associated Weather Forecast Office, listeners can hear this report every half hour.

Ultraviolet Index
A daily exposure index played on some NOAA stations. The ultraviolet (UV) index is categorized by the maximum exposure of the sun's rays during the peak hours of sunlight. It ranges in the following numbers/categories:
1-2 (Low), 3-5 (Moderate), 6-7(High), 8-10 (Very High), and 11+ (Extreme)
These are additional products that are included in the broadcast cycle occasionally (but are broadcast at randomized times, depending on the individual transmitter[s]):

Air Quality Index Statement
Agricultural Forecast
Area Forecast Discussion
Area Weather Update
Daily/Monthly Hydrometeorological Products
Heat Index Forecast
High Seas Forecast
Hydro-Met Data Report
Miscellaneous Hydrologic Data
Miscellaneous Local Product
Miscellaneous River Product
Public Information Statement
Offshore Forecast
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Clockwise from top: rack-mountable Gorman-Redlich CRW-S, yellow handheld Sangean DT-400W*, hand-crank BayGen Freeplay, portable Sony ICF-36, and white Midland WR100* base station weather radios. *Public Alertcertified Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
State Forecast
Suppression Forecast
Tabular State Forecast
Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
Travellers Forecast
There are a variety of different types of weather radio receivers available in the U.S., including:

Professional-grade receivers, typically rack-mounted, for use by broadcast radio and television stations and public agencies who are responsible for acting on or retransmitting weather and emergency alert broadcasts.

Base-station consumer radios powered by commercial AC power (often with a battery backup).

Hand-held battery powered radios, suitable for use by hikers, boaters, and in emergency preparedness kits.

Hand-crank portable radios that do not require AC or battery power, especially designed for use in emergency preparedness kits.

Weather radio receivers integrated as an auxiliary function into other devices, such as GMRS radios, portable televisions, FM radios, etc.

Radio receiver modules, such as the Si4707 from Silicon Labs, designed for electronics experimenters and project builders have in the past been available.

Historically, it was not uncommon to sell portable radios that featured AM, FM, and TV audio (VHF channels 2–13), with the weather band included some distance down the dial from TV channel 7 (after the U.S. digital TV conversion, the television sound function of these radios became obsolete).

Weather radio receivers
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National Weather Radio Frequencies
for U.S., Canada, and Mexico (et al.)
# WX8-WX12 frequency order and inclusion varies
Frequency WX
[29]
Channel
Marine
Channel
Radio
Preset
162.400 MHz WX2 36B 1
162.425 MHz WX4 96B 2
162.450 MHz WX5 37B 3
162.475 MHz WX3 97B 4
162.500 MHz WX6 38B 5
162.525 MHz WX7 98B 6
162.550 MHz WX1 39B 7
161.650 MHz WX# 21B blank
161.750 MHz WX# 23B blank
161.775 MHz WX# 83B blank
162.000 MHz WX# 28B ASM 2
163.275 MHz WX# 113B blank
One of the early consumer weather alert radios (model KH6TY) was designed and manufactured by Howard (Skip) Teller, who was issued a patent on the alerting mechanism[24][25] and was instrumental in the design of the PSK31 Digipan software and hardware,[26] and the Amateur radio NBEMS emergency communications system.

Since April 2004, radio models marketed as "Public Alert-certified" must include these features and meet certain performance criteria, as specified in electronics industry standard CEA-2009.[27] The price of a consumer-grade weather radio varies depending on the model and its extra features.[28] The United States' NWS, Canada's Weatheradio,
Mexico's SARMEX and Bermuda operate their
government weather radio stations on the same
marine VHF radio band, using FM transmitters, and
the same seven frequencies (162.400 –
162.550 MHz) as NOAA Weather Radio
(NWR).[30][31] Bermuda only uses 162.550 (land)
and 162.400 (marine).[32][33]
NWR transmitters operate VHF-FM between 5–
1,000 watts. NWR channels operating in the range of
162.3625–162.5875 MHz (162.4–.55 ± 37.5 kHz)
have a band spacing of 25 kHz may have bandwidths
up to 16 kHz.[34] The original "weather" frequency
used by multiple stations was 162.550 MHz, followed
by 162.400 in 1970, 162.475 in 1975, and the last four
(162.425, 162.450, 162.500 & 162.525 MHz) in
1981.[10][11][12][13]
163.275 MHz was used by KHB47 in New London,
Connecticut initially in 1969 until switching to
162.400 in 1970 to avoid overlapping with KWO35 in
New York, and internally by NWS in case of power outage, but is no longer in active use.[35][4][10][36] 169.075 MHz was initially used by WWG75 transmitting from Mt. Haleakala on Maui in 1970 before also switching to 162.400 by 1972.[10][37][38]
NOAA Weather Radio, Weatheradio Canada and SARMEX all refer to the seven stations by their frequencies (MHz):[39][23][30][31]
162.400 162.425 162.450 162.475 162.500 162.525 162.550 Other channel designations such as WX1 through WX7 "have no special significance but are often designated this way in consumer equipment" and "other channel numbering schemes are also prevalent/possible" according to NOAA and USCG.
[29][40] Ordering channels by when they were
Radio frequencies used
Channel designations
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Public service announcement
featuring comic strip character
Mark Trail promoting NOAA
Weather Radio
Example NOAA weather radio
coverage for Eastern Michigan.
established (WX1, WX2, ...) is "becoming less 'popular' over time than a numerical ordering of channels."[29] Weather radios may list stations in the order of their WX#, or by a "Preset Channel" number 1 thru 7 in ascending frequency order.[41][42][43] The "WX#" format is continued from WX8 up to WX12 on some lists and radios to include 163.275 MHz and or one or more of the Canadian continuous marine broadcast (CMB) frequencies 161.650, 161.775, 161.750, 162.000. Unlike WX1-WX7 typically ordered by frequency adoption by NWS, there is no consistent frequency inclusion nor assignment for WX8-WX12.[44][45][46] Effective January 1, 2019, channels 2027 (161.950 MHz, 27B) and 2028 (162.000 MHz, 28B) are designated as ASM 1 and ASM 2 respectively for application specific messages (ASM) as described in Recommendation ITU-R M.2092.[47]
The "WX" arose from the Morse code prosign shorthand for weather reports (WX) combined with the order number that the seven frequencies were adopted for use nationally. More frequencies helped prevent interference from other nearby transmitters, growing in use in the 1990s in less-populated rural, areas and as fill-in broadcast translators relaying an existing station or sending a separate, more localized broadcast into remote or mountainous areas, or those areas with reception trouble.

As with conventional broadcast television and radio signals, it may be possible to receive more than one of the seven weather channels at a given location, dependent on factors such as the location, transmitter power, range and designated coverage area of each station. The NWS suggests that users determine which frequency (as opposed to channel) is intended for their specific location so that they are assured of receiving correct and timely information.

All seven NWR channels are
available on stand-alone weather
radio receivers that are currently
sold online and in retail stores
(available for prices ranging from
US$20 and up), as well as on most
marine VHF radio transceivers,
amateur radios and digital
scanners. In addition, more
mainstream consumer electronics,
such as clock radios, portable
multi-band receivers and two-way
radios (such as FRS, GMRS and CB
radio), now feature the ability to
also receive NWR channels. Many
of the aforementioned devices also
incorporate automatic alerting
capabilities. Many American
television stations offer discounted pricing for radios to viewers as a public courtesy (especially in highly tornado-prone areas), where they are often marketed as an essential safety device on par with a smoke alarm for home fires.

Present day
Coverage
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Audio from a NOAA Weather Radio
broadcast of a tornado warning
issued for Greensburg, Kansas on
May 4, 2007. Weather Radio
stations will carry alerts when
dangerous weather threatens a
location within their listening area.

According to NOAA,[48] reliable signal reception typically extends in about a 40-mile radius from a full-power (1,000 W) transmitter, assuming level terrain. However, signal blockages can occur, especially in mountainous areas. As of 2016, there are over a thousand NWR transmitters across the U.S., covering 95% of the population.[49] Because each transmitter can cover several counties, typically a person will program their weather radio to receive only the alerts for their county or nearby surrounding counties where weather systems are most likely to move in from.[50] Whenever a weather or civil emergency alert is issued for any part of a NWR station's coverage area, many radios with an alert feature will sound an alarm or turn on upon detection of a 1,050 Hz attention tone that sounds just before the voice portion of an alert message. The specification calls for the NWS transmitter to sound the alert tone for ten seconds and for the receiver to react to it within five seconds. This system simply triggers the alarm or turns on the radio of every muted receiver within reception range of that NWR station (in other words, any receiver located anywhere within the transmitter's broadcast area). Generally, receivers with this functionality are either older or basic models.

Many newer or more sophisticated alerting receivers can detect, decode and react to a digital signal called Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME), which allows users to program their radios to receive alerts only for specific geographical areas of interest and concern, rather than for an entire broadcast area. These advanced models may also have colored LED status lights which indicate the level of the alert as an "advisory"/"statement", "watch" or "warning" (either amber or green for advisories and statements, orange or yellow for watches, red for warnings).

When an alert is transmitted, the SAME header/data signal is broadcast first (heard as three repeated audio "bursts"), followed by the 1,050 Hz attention tone, then the voice message, then the end-of-message (EOM) data signal (repeated quickly three times). This encoding/decoding technology has the advantage of avoiding "false alarms" triggered by the 1,050 Hz tone itself in locations outside the intended warning area. Broadcast areas are generally divided into SAME locations by county or marine zone using the standard U.S. Government FIPS county codes.

NOAA's SAME alert protocol was later adopted and put into use by the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in 1997 – the replacement for the earlier Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) and even earlier CONELRAD – now required by the FCC for standard broadcast TV and radio stations. Environment Canada eventually integrated SAME alerting capability into its Weatheradio Canada network in 2004.[51] Organizations are able to disseminate and coordinate emergency alerts and warning messages through NOAA Weather Radio and other public systems by means of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
[52]
In September 2008, Walgreens announced that it would utilize SAME technology to deliver local weather alerts via a system of LED billboards located outside its drugstore locations to provide an additional avenue of weather information.[53] Many national billboard companies (such as Outfront Media, Clear Channel Outdoor and Lamar, among others) also use their color LED billboard networks to display weather warnings to drivers, while state-owned freeway notification boards, which utilize the EAS/NOAA infrastructure for AMBER Alerts, also display weather warnings.

Alerting
0:00 MENU
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Every local National Weather Service weather forecast office is required to conduct a scheduled weekly test of the NOAA Weather Radio public alert system, generally occurring every Wednesday between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (noon). Certain Weather Forecast Offices conduct this twice a week, usually testing two time on Wednesday, usually between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. (noon) and then again between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Other offices test once on Wednesday, and then again on Saturday. Some NOAA Weather Radio stations also broadcast tests of the Emergency Alert System on predetermined days and times.

If there is a threat of severe weather that day in a NWR station's listening area, the weekly test is postponed until the next available fair-weather day (sometimes, a short message stating the reason for the test's cancellation is broadcast). The required weekly test (SAME event code "RWT") interrupts regular NWR programming — during the test, a SAME data header is sent, followed by a 1050 Hz attention tone, the voice test message, then a SAME end-of-message (EOM) signal. The text of the test message used by most NWS offices, with variations depending on the office, is typically as follows:
"This is the National Weather Service office in [city]. The preceding signal was a test of the NOAA Weather Radio warning alarm system on station [call sign of radio station] in [location]. During potential or actual dangerous weather situations, specially built receivers are automatically activated by this signal to warn of the impending hazard. Tests of this signal and receivers' performance are usually conducted by this National Weather Service office on Wednesdays at [time of day]. When there is a threat of severe weather, or existing severe weather is in the area on Wednesday, the test will be postponed until the next available good-weather day. Reception of this broadcast, and especially the warning alarm signal, will vary at any given location. The variability, normally more noticeable at greater distances from the transmitter, will occur even though you are using a good quality receiver in perfect working order. To provide the most consistent warning service possible, the warning alarm will be activated only for selected watches and warnings affecting the following counties: [list of counties]. This concludes the test of the warning alarm system on NOAA Weather Radio station [call sign]. We now return to normal programming."[54] From the introduction of NOAA Weather Radio until the late 1990s, nearly all the voices heard in the broadcasts were those of the staff at local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. The messages were manually recorded, first on tape cartridges and later digitally, and then placed in the broadcast cycle.

As the NWS added more transmitters to provide broader radio coverage, the staff had difficulty keeping broadcast cycles updated in a timely fashion, especially during major severe weather outbreaks.[55]
Emergency alert test procedure
Voices
System upgrades
1990s Console Replacement System
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To manage the increasing number of transmitters for each office and to speed the overall delivery of warning messages to the public, the Console Replacement System (CRS) was deployed at NWS weather forecast offices in 1997.[55] CRS introduced a computerized voice nicknamed "Paul", using a text-to-speech system which was based on the DECtalk technology. This system was chosen over more readily available concatenative synthesis because each forecast, watch and warning requires unique wording to relay the most accurate and relevant information. Concatenation is typically used by telephone companies, banks and other service businesses where a limited vocabulary of recorded words can easily take the place of specific, repetitive phrases and sentences. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts contain a wide variety of information which changes with the weather. Forecasters need to have many words to choose from when writing their forecasts and warnings for the public.[5] Although CRS greatly enhanced the delivery speed and scheduling of Weather Radio messages, some listeners disliked Paul's voice, as it was very monotone and did not resemble a normal speaking voice due to CRS not having the technological advances at the time to resemble human speech patterns.[55] Voice Type of Weather Message
File
Size
CRS
Paul
Weather Synopsis (https://web.archive.org/web/20170126025101/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/a udio/Paul_SYN.wav)
191
KB
In 2002, the National Weather Service contracted with Siemens Information and Communication and SpeechWorks to introduce improved, more natural voices. The Voice Improvement Plan (VIP) was implemented, involving a separate computer processor linked into CRS that fed digitized sound files to the broadcast suite. The improvements involved one male voice ("Craig"), and one female voice ("Donna"). Additional upgrades in 2003 improved "Donna" and introduced an improved male voice nicknamed "Tom", which had variable intonation based on the urgency of the report. As part of this upgrade a Spanish voice, "Javier", was added at a few sites.[55] Due to the superior quality of the "Tom" voice, most NWS offices used it for the majority of broadcasts and announcements. 2002 Voice Improvement Program
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Voice Type of Weather Message
File
Size
VIP
Tom
Coastal Waters Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120925001634/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ nwr/audio/Tom_CWF.mp3)
481
KB
VIP
Tom
Local Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/audio/ Tom_LFP.mp3)
498
KB
VIP
Tom
Weather Synopsis (https://web.archive.org/web/20120925001629/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/au dio/Tom_SYN.mp3)
125
KB
VIP
Donna
Great Lakes Marine Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa. gov/nwr/audio/Donna_GLF.mp3)
220
KB
VIP
Donna
Hazardous Weather Outlook (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.g ov/nwr/audio/Donna_HWO.mp3)
127
KB
VIP
Donna
Hourly Weather Observation (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.g ov/nwr/audio/Donna_HWR.mp3)
268
KB
VIP
Javier
Climate Summary (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/au dio/Javier_CLI.mp3)
112
KB
VIP
Javier
Hourly Weather Observation (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.g ov/nwr/audio/Javier_HWR.mp3)
292
KB
VIP
Javier
Local Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/audio/ Javier_LFP.mp3)
285
KB
In 2016, the NWS replaced almost all of the CRS systems in operation at its Weather Forecast Offices —which had been in use for over 20 years and were approaching the end of the system's expected service life—with the Broadcast Message Handler (BMH). The new system is more closely integrated with the AWIPS software and intended to be more reliable.[56] The BMH units replaced "Donna" and "Tom" with an improved "Paul" voice (its classification from new voice partner NeoSpeech[57][58]).

Many stations have dubbed him "Paul II" or "Paul Jr" to avoid confusion with CRS "Perfect Paul". For the NWS offices that incorporate Spanish programming into the NWR broadcast cycle, VIP "Javier" was replaced with a much improved female voice named "Violetta" (another voice from NeoSpeech).

The upgrade initially began at six offices: Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; Brownsville, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; and Tiyan, Guam. [59] Many of the stations
saw an initial negative reaction primarily due to many mispronunciations. Most local NWS Offices provide a method of reporting these problems, and have the ability to reprogram the voices accordingly.

Voice Type of Weather Message
File
Size
BMH
Paul
Local Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/au dio/BMH_Paul.mp3)
280
KB
BMH
Violetta
Marine Forecast (https://web.archive.org/web/20120510120704/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/a udio/BMH_Violetta.mp3)
1,196
KB
Broadcast Message Handler
Wireless NOAA Weather Radio Stations
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Beginning in at least 2017, several NWS offices began to switch some of their NWR transmitter input audio from a traditional cable phoneline to a digital wireless connection that is supplied to the transmitter location. A few methods of transmitting the audio from the NWS Office to the transmitter currently exist, including using a cellular network linking, as well as UHF transmission. As a result, the outputting sound that comes from the station's transmitter generally has a much higher quality than it would with a phoneline. In May 2017, KEC80 in Atlanta, Georgia became the first known NWR station to switch to wireless audio communication, utilizing NWS Peachtree City's cellular network.

Some challenges have presented themselves with wireless stations, mainly more common station outages, as well as sporadic skipping of the audio feed.

As of 2021, phoneline stations still dominate a majority of the 1,000+ NWR transmitters across the United States. However their quality and audibility depends on the cables and transmitters themselves. Compared to wireless stations, phoneline stations tend to have a more quiet tone to them, with telephone like audio quality. On the other hand, wireless stations sound tend to have a higher sample rate and audio quality, with more treble and a much crisper sound. The nature of this type of sound makes it distinguishable when the Paul voice contains an "s" sound.

Human voices are still heard on occasion, but sparingly, mainly during station identifications, public forecasts, National Marine Fisheries Service messages, public information statements, public service announcements, required weekly tests, and severe weather events. The capability exists for a meteorologist to broadcast live on any transmitter if computer problems occur or added emphasis is desired, or to notify listeners who are concerned about a silent station on another frequency whether that station is dark due to technical errors, prolonged power outage, or a weather event has forced it off the air.

Some weather forecast offices will issue a secondary report in Spanish during severe weather events or warnings. Few NWR stations broadcast weather information in Spanish."NOAA Weather Spanish Voice" (https://www.weather.gov/nwr/spanish).

Four WFOs disseminate all content using dedicated stations to be only Broadcast in the SpanishLanguage, separate from their English-language Counter Channels: San Diego (WNG712 in Coachella/Riverside), El Paso (WNG652), Miami (WZ2531 in Hialeah, since 2012), and Brownsville (WZ2541 in Pharr and WZ2542 in Harlingen, since 2014). These stations originally used a synthesized Spanish male voice named "Javier" for all broadcasts, but have since been upgraded with the BMH female voice "Violetta".

The Albuquerque WFO often repeats weather alerts in Spanish after their initial dissemination in English. Station WXJ69 in San Juan, Puerto Rico broadcasts all information, including forecasts, in the same manner.

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay Area/Ruskin (https://www.weather.gov/tbw/) plays a severe weather programming Station I.D. in the broadcast cycle if an alert is issued for the station warning area using the Spanish Voice, but it plays the English text version of the product, resulting in the Text-To-Speech software reading English text being pronounced in Spanish.

Human voices
Broadcasting-in-Spanish
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Several websites provide internet audio streaming of a subset of the NOAA Weather radio stations, but the most prominent of these, the Wunderadio section of weather information website Weather Underground, discontinued live streams of NWR broadcasts in April 2017.[60] In February 2017, as Weather Underground prepared to discontinue its Wunderadio subpage, a group of individuals formed the site noaaweatherradio.org (http://www.noaaweatherradio.org) to allow former Wunderadio users and others to listen to NWR audio feeds. A large majority of the feeds featured on the Weather Underground's Wunderadio page were incorporated onto the new site. Various NOAA Weather Radio station streams are also available at broadcastify.com (http://www.broadcastify.com), weatherusa.net/radio (http://www.weatherusa.net/radio) and PlanoWeather (https://www.planowea ther.com/).

Navtex
Severe weather terminology (United States)
Weather radio
Weatheradio Canada

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Retrieved May 13, 2014.

2. "History of NOAA Weather Radio" (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dvn/?n=nwrhistory). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

3. Nelson, W.C. (2002). "American Warning Dissemination and NOAA Weather Radio" (http://cliffedit s.com/thesis/thesis.html).

4. "Marine Weather Services, ESSA/PI 68003" (https://books.google.com/books?id=O8gHZbsIc04C) (Brochure). U.S. Department of Commerce, Environmental Science Services Administration. 1970.

5. "Voices Used on NOAA Weather Radio" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080206061120/http://nws. noaa.gov/nwr/newvoice.htm). National Weather Service. Archived from the original (http://nws.noa a.gov/nwr/newvoice.htm) on February 6, 2008.

6. "Voice Improvement Processor" (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/VIPstatus.htm). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

7. Kupec, R. J. (July–August 2008). "Tuning in: Weather radios for those most at risk". Journal of Emergency Management. 6 (4): 51. doi:10.5055/jem.2008.0029 (https://doi.org/10.5055%2Fjem.2 008.0029).

8. "Birth of NOAA Weather Radio" (https://vlab.ncep.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/explore-nws-history #event-birth-of-noaa-weather-radio). National Weather Service Heritage. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

Live streaming
See also
References
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9. Hurricane Camille: A Report to the Administrator (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/N WS/Assessments/Hurricane-Camille.pdf) (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce, Environmental Science Services Administration. September 1969. Retrieved January 18, 2020. "it is further recommended that the VHF-FM Weather Broadcasts, an extremely effective means of communication with the general public and responsible authority, be installed as planned on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts"

10. "NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PI 70035 1970" (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/ NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS-WeatherRadio1970.pdf) (PDF) (Brochure). U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. 1970. Retrieved January 17, 2019.

11. Jenson, Clayton E.; et al. (April 1975). The Federal Plan for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, Fiscal Year 1976 (https://archive.org/details/federalplanf00unit/page/21).

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12. Carnegie, Samuel (April 1981). Conference record of papers presented at the thirty-first annual conference, Washington, DC, April 6, 7, 8, 1981, "Status of NOAA Weather Radio Program" (http s://zenodo.org/record/1282717). National Weather Service. Washington, DC: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1981. p. 109. doi:10.1109/VTC.1981.1622917 (https://doi.org/10.110 9%2FVTC.1981.1622917). S2CID 39769334 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:3976933 4). "FREQUENCY ADDITIONS: In addition to 162.40, 162.475 and 162.55 MHz, NWS has received 4 additional frequencies for use in NWR. These additional frequencies are 162.425, 162.45, 162.5 and 162.525MHz. With these additional frequencies, we are hopeful that Cochannel interference can be eliminated and expansion of NWR can result, but the net effect will be tighter specifications for NWR receiver selectivity."

13. "West Virginia Blue Book", Volume 67 (https://books.google.com/books?id=jf3vAAAAMAAJ).

Original from Pennsylvania State University: Tribune Company. 1981. p. 535. Retrieved January 20, 2020. "“Hinton 162.425 MHz” “Sutton 162.45 MHz” “Flat Top 162.50 MHz” “Gilbert 162.525 MHz”"

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16. ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/journals/essa_world/QC851U461967jan.pdf

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19. "Weather Radio Network Passes 200 Goal Is 340" (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescu e/journals/noaa/QC851U461978jul.pdf) (PDF). NOAA Magazine. Vol. 8, no. 3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 1978. p. 59. Retrieved January 18, 2020. "On 2 May 1978, the WXK84 in Memphis, TN became the 200th NOAA Weather Radio station to go into service followed by WXK47 in Bristol, TN three days later as part of a goal of 340 stations reaching 90 percent of the nation’s population by 1979."

20. "300th Station on the Air" (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/journals/noaa/QC851U4 61979oct.pdf) (PDF). NOAA Magazine. Vol. 9, no. 4. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. October 1979. p. 63. Retrieved January 19, 2020. "The Nation's 300th NOAA Weather Radio station (WXL-S7[invalid station#, is WXL45]) went on the air in September in Columbia, Mo., ... the latest in a 350-station network of NOAA Weather Radios slated to be in operation by the end of the year"

21. "NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 76015" (https://books.google.com/books?id=pwU_Ce7B8KwC) (Brochure). U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. 1988.

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NOAA. Archived from the original (http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/pdf/NWRfactsheet0307.pdf) (PDF) on October 20, 2015.

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Coast Guard, Navigation Center. Retrieved January 17, 2020.

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34. "4.3.7 Channeling Plan for Assignments in the Band 162–174 MHz – CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS – 2. Wideband Operations" (https://www.ntia.doc.gov/legacy/osmhome/redbook/4d _5_10.pdf) (PDF). Manual Of Regulations And Procedures For Federal Radio Frequency Management – January 2008 Edition, September 2009 Revision (https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/nti a/publications/manual_sept_2009.pdf) (PDF) (Report). U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE – National Telecommunications and Information Administration. pp. 4–180. Retrieved January 19, 2020.

35. "21st VHF-FM System Dedicated in Conn" (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/journal s/essa_news/QC801E71969v5no48.pdf) (PDF). ESSA News. Vol. 5, no. 48. U.S. Department of Commerce, Environmental Science Services Administration. November 28, 1969.

36. "National Weather Service Marine Products Via NOAA Weather Radio" (https://web.archive.org/w eb/20190111004852/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/wxradio.htm). NOAA's National Weather Service Marine Forecasts. Archived from the original (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marin e/wxradio.htm) on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019. "Many NOAA Weather Radio receivers are also programmed for three additional frequencies; 161.650 MHz (marine VHF Ch 21B), 161.775 MHz (marine VHF Ch 83B) and 163.275 MHz. The first two frequencies are used by Canada for marine weather broadcasts. 163.275 MHz was used by the National Weather Service for earlier weather broadcasts and later for internal coordination in the event of a power outage but is no longer in active use."

37. "Marine Weather Services, NOAA/PA 70029 (Rev. 1972)" (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_docume nts.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS-MarineWeather-197

2.pdf) (PDF) (Brochure). U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. 1972. Retrieved January 17, 2019.

38. "NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PA 70035 (Rev.) 1972" (https://books.google.com/books?id=x vljJyX4J-sC) (Brochure). U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. 1972. Retrieved January 17, 2019.

39. "NOAA Weather Radio" (https://www.weather.gov/nwr/). National Weather Service. U.S.

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.

40. "Dissemination of Marine Weather by the NWS" (https://www.weather.gov/marine/nws_disseminat ion).

41. "All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio, Page 11" (https://www.weather.gov/media/ind/nwr/NOAA_We ather_Radio.pdf) (PDF).

42. "NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio Help" (https://www.weather.gov/ohx/nwrhelp).

43. "Midland X-Tra Talk GXT1000//1050 Series GMRS/FRS Radio Owner's Manual, Page 21" (https:// midlandusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/GXT1000-Owners-Manual1.pdf) (PDF).

44. "Two-Way Radio User's Guide, Model SX700 series, "WX8-WX12" " (https://www.motorolasolution s.com/content/dam/msi/docs/products/two-way-radios/consumer/user-guides/sx-series/sx700_use rguide.pdf) (PDF). Motorola Solutions. 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

45. Leimer, Andy (May 2005). "Part 80 VHF Transceivers and Marine Radars, Andy Leimer, Equipment Authorization Branch Equipment, Federal Communications Commission Office of Engineering and Technology Laboratory Division, page 10 "WX 10 163.725" " (https://transition.fc c.gov/oet/ea/presentations/files/may05/PT_80_VHF_Transmitters.pdf) (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 16, 2020.

46. "Talkabout Emergency Preparedness Two-Way Radio T480 MN001399A01-AA "WX10 161.750" " (https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/products/two-way-radios/consumer/T4 80/T480-User-Guide.pdf) (PDF). Motorola Solutions. May 26, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2020. 366
4/19/22, 3:34 PM NOAA Weather Radio - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA_Weather_Radio 20/22

47. "INTERNATIONAL VHF MARINE RADIO CHANNELS AND FREQUENCIES" (https://www.navce n.uscg.gov/?pageName=apps18). United States Coast Guard, Navigation Center. Retrieved January 15, 2020.

48. "County Coverage by State" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150502165831/http://www.nws.noaa. gov/nwr/coverage/county_coverage.html). NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service.

Archived from the original (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/county_coverage.html) on May 2, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.

49. "Emergency Warnings For People With Hearing Loss" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150704021 423/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/shhh.html). NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. U.S.

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Archived from the original (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/shhh.html) on July 4, 2015.

Retrieved September 6, 2017.

50. "Using NWR SAME" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150512173810/http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/ info/usingsame.html). NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Archived from the original (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/usingsame.html) on May 12, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.

51. "Weatheradio Network" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150427142851/http://www.ec.gc.ca/media _archive/press/2004/040107_b_e.htm) (Press release). January 7, 2004. Archived from the original (http://www.ec.gc.ca/media_archive/press/2004/040107_b_e.htm) on April 27, 2015.

52. "Integrated Public Alert & Warning System" (https://www.fema.gov/integrated-public-alert-warningsystem). fema.gov. Federal Emergency Management Agency. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018. "IPAWS provides public safety officials with an effective way to alert and warn the public about serious emergencies using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, and other public alerting systems from a single interface."

53. "Walgreens Electronic Outdoor Signs Now Deliver Vital Weather Messages at More Than 3,000 Corner Locations Across America" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080927033326/http://news.wal greens.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5055). Walgreens. Archived from the original (http://ne ws.walgreens.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5055) on September 27, 2008.

54. "NOAA Weather Radio Alarm Test Procedures" (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/nwrtest.html).

National Weather Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

55. "Voices Used on NOAA Weather Radio" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150703220101/https://ww w.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/newvoice.html). NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service.

Archived from the original (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/newvoice.html) on July 3, 2015.

Retrieved September 4, 2017.

56. "New NOAA Weather Radio Management Platform is Coming Soon" (https://www.weather.gov/dd c/BMHDDC). National Weather Service. Dodge City, KS: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Retrieved September 4, 2017.

57. "New All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio Now Operational" (https://www.weather.gov/mkx/bmh).

National Weather Service. Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. May 24, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.

58. Huttner, Paul (June 15, 2016). "NOAA Weather Radio has a new voice, and his name is Paul" (htt p://blogs.mprnews.org/updraft/2016/06/noaa-weather-radio-has-a-new-voice-and-his-name-is-pau l/). Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
367
4/19/22, 3:34 PM NOAA Weather Radio - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA_Weather_Radio 21/22
NWS Organization (https://www.weather.gov/organization) (shows all NOAA offices) U.S. NOAA/NWS Weatheradio page (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/) NWR Receiver Consumer Information (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/info/nwrrcvr.html) NOAA county-by-county coverage (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/county_coverage.htm l)
ESSA News September 11, 1970 (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/journals/essa_n ews/QC801E71970v6no38.pdf)

59. "A New Voice for NOAA Weather Radio" (https://www.weather.gov/gsp/new-nwr-voice). National Weather Service. Greenville-Spartanburg, SC: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Retrieved September 4, 2017.

60. "WU feature and product updates – Customer Feedback for Weather Underground" (http://help.w underground.com/knowledgebase/articles/1143553-wu-feature-and-product-updates). help.wunderground.com. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
"ESSA VHF Weather Radio Stations" Weatherwise magazine, August 1969 (https://dx.doi.org/10. 1080/00431672.1969.9932865)
Marine Weather Services: ESSA VHF Radio Weather, ESSA/PI 680033 1969 (ftp://ftp.library.noa a.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/ESSA/ESSA_PI/PI_680033.pdf) Marine Weather Services: ESSA VHF Radio Weather, ESSA/PI 680033 1970 (https://books.googl e.com/books?id=O8gHZbsIc04C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=on epage&q&f=false)
NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PI 70035, 1970 (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/ NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS-WeatherRadio1970.pdf) NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PA 70035, Rev. 1972 (https://books.google.com/books?id=xvlj JyX4J-sC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false) Marine Weather Services: NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PA 70029, Rev. 1972 (ftp://ftp.librar y.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/ NWS-MarineWeather-1972.pdf)
Marine Weather Services: NOAA VHF Radio Weather, NOAA/PA 70029, Rev. 1974 (ftp://ftp.librar y.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/ NWS-MarineWeatherServices-1974.pdf)
NOAA Weather Radio NOAA/PA 74035, 1975 (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOA A_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS-WeatherRadio-1975.pdf) Marine Weather Services: NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 74034, Rev. 1976 (ftp://ftp.library.noa a.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOAA_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS -MarineWeatherServices-1976.pdf)
NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 76015, 1976 (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOA A_historic_documents/NOAA_historical_brochures/Weather/NWS-WeatherRadio-1976.pdf) NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 76015, Rev. July 1988 (https://books.google.com/books?id=pw U_Ce7B8KwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false) NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 96070 (station list), May 1999 (ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_do cuments.lib/NWS/Brochures/NOAA_weather_radio_May_1999.pdf) External links
NOAA Weather Radio brochure evolution
368
4/19/22, 3:34 PM NOAA Weather Radio - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA_Weather_Radio 22/22
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NOAA_Weather_Radio&oldid=1080371488" This page was last edited on 31 March 2022, at 21:39 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 200356 (maps), October 2002 (https://permanent.access.gpo.g ov/gpo1660/NwrBrochure.pdf)
All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), NOAA/PA 96070 (no list), October 2007 (ftp://ftp.librar y.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NWS/Brochures/NWR_all_hazards_Oct_2007.pdf) NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR), NOAA/PA 200352 Poster, April 2014 (ftp://ftp.library.no aa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NWS/Brochures/NOAA_weather_radio_April_2014.pdf,) All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA/PA 94062, Rev. January 2020 (https://www.weather.go v/media/nwr/NWR_Brochure_NOAA_PA_94062.pdf)
369
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377
Agenda Item No.: 11.F
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH,
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT:

APPROVE FIRST AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH HQE SYSTEMS INC. COVERING SUPPLEMENTAL
SERVICES FOR A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $3500.

DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

On March 14, 2022, the City Council unanimously voted to direct staff to go forward with HQE Systems allocating a budget not to exceed $3,500 to further investigate potential co-location sites for poles.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is sufficient budget in non-department 65 under account 917 Emergency Preparedness to fund the $3,500 professional service fee.

RECOMMENDATION:

Approve professional services agreement as presented.

ATTACHMENTS:

CL_AGN_220411_CC_PSA_HQE_Amendment01.pdf
CL_AGN_220425_Item11F_HQE_SirenProject_PublicComment_Redacted.pdf 378
65277.00001\34989395.2

FIRST AMENDMENT TO

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT (“First Amendment”) is made and entered into this 11th day of April, 2022, by and between the CITY OF ROLLING HILLS, a California municipal corporation (hereinafter the “CITY”), and HQE Systems, Inc., a California corporation with its principal office at 42075 Remington Avenue, Suite #109, Temecula, California 92590 (hereinafter the “CONSULTANT”). CITY and CONSULTANT are sometimes referred to in this First Amendment individually as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”

RECITALS
A. CITY and CONSULTANT have entered into that certain Professional Services Agreement for Emergency Communications System services last executed on August 26, 2021 (the “Agreement”).

B. CONSULTANT rendered services under the Agreement, and the CITY paid $3,280.00 for such services.

C. The Parties now desire to amend the Agreement in order to extend the term, provide for additional services to be rendered by CONSULTANT, and provide for additional compensation to CONSULTANT (“First Amendment”).

Now, therefore, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and conditions herein contained, CITY and CONSULTANT agree the following terms, as set forth in this First Amendment.

1. Section 2 “Scope of Work” of the Agreement is amended to read as follows:

CONSULTANT shall provide the services described in the Scope of Services attached to the Agreement as Exhibit A and incorporated therein by reference. CONSULTANT shall also provide the following supplemental services (“Supplemental Services”):

Execute Task 2.1 of the Project Scope set by the City and all of the specified essential tasks outlined by the City as the sub-tasks. Create the tentative plan of action based on information captured from the City.

The term of the Agreement shall be from August 26, 2021 to August 26, 2023 unless terminated sooner pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement. Such term may be extended upon written agreement of both CITY and CONSULTANT.

2. Section 3 “Cost” of the Agreement is amended to read as follows:

The CITY agrees to pay CONSULTANT for the Scope of Services attached to the Agreement as Exhibit A and incorporated therein by reference, a fixed fee of Three 379
65277.00001\34989395.2
Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Dollars ($3,280). The CITY agrees to pay CONSULTANT for the Supplemental Services, a fixed fee of Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($3,500). These amounts include the cost for the services and all expenses, travel and mileage, attendance at meetings, and reimbursable expenses.

3. Section 4 “Method of Payment” of the Agreement is amended to read as follows:

Upon full execution of the Agreement and this First Amendment, CONSULTANT shall submit an invoice in duplicate and addressed to the CITY OF ROLLING HILLS, CITY MANAGER, 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills, CA 90274. CITY shall remit payment for the Services within fourteen (14 days) of receiving the invoices.

4. Except as amended by this First Amendment, all provisions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Amendment on the date and year first written above.

CITY OF ROLLING HILLS HQE SYSTEMS, INC.
__________________________ __________________________
ELAINE JENG, City Manager HENRY HERNANDEZ, Chief Operating Officer

ATTEST:
__________________________
CHRISTIAN HORVATH, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
__________________________

MICHAEL JENKINS

CITY ATTORNEY
380
From: Debra Shrader
To: Arlene Honbo
Cc: Elaine Jeng; Christian Horvath; Leah Mirsch; Patrick Wilson; Bea Dieringer; Jim Black; Jeff Pieper; Don Crocker; Alfred Visco
Subject: Re: HQE Siren Project for Rolling Hills on City Council Agenda tonight 4/25 Date: Monday, April 25, 2022 11:44:16 AM
Dear City Council Members,
As a block captain, I've watched the city study the use of sirens for notifications in case of emergencies. After long months of research, I'm concerned that the approval of the HQE Siren Project has been postponed to check on a NOAA alternative. Please move the study along so we can all benefit.

Thank you,
Debra Shrader
Zone 13
RH Block Captain
On Mon, Apr 25, 2022 at 11:06 AM Arlene Honbo < > wrote:

Dear Block Captains and Support Team,
The City Council decided at the March 28 meeting to allocate funds to have HQE Systems re-assess the placement of proposed siren poles in the city. They expressed concerns proposed poles would create view issues.

At the April 11 meeting the City Council postponed the approval of the amended contract of $3500 to HQE Systems because Councilmember Bea Dieringer wanted to evaluate using NOAA Weather Radios instead. A new resident from Malibu alerted Bea that Malibu is not moving forward with their siren study, although it has not been confirmed.

Please attend the City Council meeting this evening to understand how the City Council intends to address notifying residents in the event there is no power, no cell phone or phone service in the event of an emergency. Our letter from the Block Captains and residents with support for a siren system was submitted for the March meeting.

If you are unable to attend, please consider sending an email with your opinion.

Thanks!
Arlene
--
Debra Shrader
Hope for healing for the world.... I miss people!!
381
Agenda Item No.: 12.A
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH, CITY CLERK / EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO

CITY MANAGER
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: DISCUSS SETTING TIME LIMITS FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS AND COUNCIL COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS. (MAYOR BLACK)
DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

None.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Consider and provide direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS:
382
Agenda Item No.: 12.B
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH,
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: DISCUSS HOLDING AN ANNUAL STATE OF THE CITY EVENT. (MIRSCH)
DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

At the February 14, 2022 City Council meeting, Councilmember Leah Mirsch expanded on the Council's direction for staff to inform the community on the city's accomplishments and activities in the last two years to support the 2020 strategic plan and inquired if the City Council would consider holding a State of the City event annually.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Consider and provide direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS:
383
Agenda Item No.: 12.C
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH,
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: DISCUSS TRACKING TIME SPENT BETWEEN CITY MANAGER AND INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS. (MAYOR BLACK)
DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

None.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Consider and provide direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS:
384
Agenda Item No.: 12.D
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH, CITY CLERK / EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO

CITY MANAGER
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: CONSIDER POTENTIAL FORMATION OF SUBCOMMITTEE

CONSISTING OF MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND ROLLING

HILLS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS TO DISCUSS
DRAINAGE ISSUES CITYWIDE. (MAYOR BLACK)
DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

None.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Provide direction to staff.

ATTACHMENTS:
385
Agenda Item No.: 13.A
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JOHN SIGNO, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & COMMUNITY SERVICES THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: FIRE FUEL ABATEMENT ENFORCEMENT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT CASES QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022
(JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31).

DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

The Code Enforcement division provides quarterly updates on code enforcement cases and fuel abatement cases which consist of active and closed cases. The attachments show active and closed cases consisting mainly of unpermitted work, dead vegetation and code violation complaints from neighbors.

DISCUSSION:

During the first quarter of 2022, staff transitioned from using an in-house code enforcement officer to contract services with Willdan Engineering. The previous in-house code enforcement officer left in December 2021 leaving the City without an officer at the beginning of the year. Willdan Engineering started at the beginning of March and has been directed to follow up on on-going cases during the transition period while becoming familiar with the City's tracking system and procedures.

The Code Enforcement Division is continuing to use iWorQ to generate quarterly updates and track code enforcement and fire fuel abatement cases. Those reports are attached. In the first quarter of 2022 (January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022), there was a total of 4 new Code Enforcement cases that were opened involving dead vegetation with 1 closed. Additionally, there were 2 on-going cases opened prior to the quarter that were closed: 1 involved illegal construction and the other dead vegetation.

From January 1, 2021, there were 76 new cases of which 59 were closed; the remaining 17 cases are still active. There were also 2 cases opened prior to 2021 that remain open. Code Enforcement is following up on those cases.

On March 31, 2022, a Quarterly Fire Fuel meeting was held with participants from LA County Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures (ACWM) and Southern California Edison 386
(SCE). ACWM reported brush clearance activities for four vacant properties in the City, and activities in neighboring areas. SCE indicated they would begin pre-inspection in May or June.

SCE advises residents to report overgrown vegetation if near power equipment. Residents can contact SCE on their website, sce.com.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

Receive and file.

ATTACHMENTS:

Opened_Cases_Report_Q12022.pdf
Closed_Cases_Report_Q12022.pdf
All_Cases_Report_2021-2022.pdf
387
Page: 1 of 1
Opened
Cases
1/1/2022 - 03/31/2022
Case # Case Date Address of Violation Description Main Status 259 3/24/2022 42 Portuguese Bend Road 3 Dead Trees Open 258 3/8/2022 74 Saddleback Road Dead Eucalyptus tree/pine trees, accumulation of dead vegetation
Open
256 3/3/2022 76 Saddleback Road Dead Eucalyptus tree in power lines and dead pine tree
Closed
255 2/15/2022 17 Bowie Road Dead Vegetation Open
Total Records: 4 4/20/2022
388
Page: 1 of 1
Closed
Cases
Report
1/1/2022 - 03/31/2022
Case # Case Date Address of Violation Description Main Status Case Closed Group: 106.5.4 - Expiration.
119 5/16/2019 67 Portuguese Bend Road Illegal Construction Closed 2/1/2022 Group Total: 1
Group: 8.30.010 - Dead or alive tumbleweeds and dead trees, shrubs, palm fronds or other plants as public nuisance.
223 6/22/2021 1 Pinto Road Dead Vegetation Closed 3/10/2022 Group Total: 1
p
Total Records: 2 4/20/2022
389
All Cases Report
2021-2022
1/1/2021 - 4/1/2022
Case Date Status Address of Violation Description
3/29/2022 Open 42 Portuguese Bend Rd Dead Tree
3/8/2022 Open 74 Saddleback Road Dead Eucalyptus tree/pine trees, accumulatin of dead vegetation
3/3/2022 Closed 76 Saddleback Road Dead Eucalyptus tree in power lines and dead pine tree
2/15/2022 Open 17 Bowie Road Dead Vegetation
12/30/2021 Open 3 Appaloosa Lane Dead Tree
11/23/2021 Open 2 Acacia Lane Unpermitted replacement of roof on guest house, unpermitted demolition of pool deck, and no C&D
permit.
10/19/2021 Pending 1 Hackamore Road Barking Dog
10/13/2021 Closed 2 El Concho Illegal structure
9/28/2021 Closed 8 Midderidge Lane Dead Vegetation
9/14/2021 Closed 28 Portuguese Bend Road Dead Vegetation 9/9/2021 Closed 66 Portuguese Bend Road Tumbleweeds
9/1/2021 Closed 1 Crest Road East Tumbleweeds
8/23/2021 Closed 38 Crest Road West Dead Vegetation
8/18/2021 Open 5 Caballeros Road Dead vegetation
8/18/2021 Closed 7 Crest Road East Tumbleweeds
8/10/2021 Open 1 Ranchero Road Illegal construction
8/3/2021 Open 53 Portuguese Bend Road View Impairment
7/26/2021 Closed 2 Acacia Lane Dead Vegetation
7/26/2021 Closed 16 Cinchring Road Tumbleweeds
7/20/2021 Closed 4 Pine Tree Lane Dead Vegetation
7/23/2021 Closed 19 Wideloop Dead Vegetation
7/22/2021 Closed 20 Upper Blackwater
Canyon Road
Dead vegetation, palm tree fronds, and dead trees
390
7/22/2021 Closed 62 Eastfield Drive Dead palm tree fronds 7/21/2021 Closed 6 Open Brand Road Dead fronds
7/21/2021 Closed 5 Crest Road East Tumbleweeds
7/20/2021 Closed 88 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
7/1/2021 Closed 6 Saddleback Road Dead Tree
7/6/2021 Open 1 Chestnut Lane Illegal structure
6/29/2021 Closed 80 Saddleback Road Dead vegetation
6/22/2021 Closed 1 Pinto Road Dead Vegetation
6/28/2021 Closed 77 Portuguese Bend Road Dead Vegetation 7/21/2021 Closed 1 Crest Road West Dead Vegetation
6/21/2021 Closed 7 Pine Tree Lane Dead Vegetation
6/17/2021 Closed 5 Johns Canyon Road View
6/17/2021 Closed 17 Cinchring Road Dead Vegetation
6/11/2021 Closed 8 Crest Road East Illegal import/export of dirt 6/16/2021 Closed 2 Spur Lane Import of gravel; unpermitted 5/18/2021 Closed 21 Chuckwagon Road Illegal work & no C&D permit 2/25/2021 2 Spur Lane 17.16.230 - Import and export of soil. 5/25/2021 5 Chuckwagon Road Dead vegetation
5/25/2021 Closed 6 Pine Tree Lane Dead Vegetation
4/27/2021 Closed 7 Chuckwagon Lane Animal complaint
6/8/2021 Open 2 El Concho Road Planting trees, illegal construction 6/3/2021 Open 1 Hackamore Road Illegal construction, unpermitted. Boat stored in prohibited location.
4/28/2021 3 Johns Canyon Pine tree obstructing view
4/26/2021 4 Ranchero Road Dead Vegetation
4/21/2021 Pending 2 Buggy Whip Drive broken fence and trash 4/7/2021 Closed 8 Flying Mane Road Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 4 Middleridge Lane South Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 76 Eastfield Drive Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 7 Crest Road East Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 1 Middleridge Lane North Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 23 Middleridge Lane
North
Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 32 Portuguese Bend Road Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 30 Portuguese Bend Road Old Code Case
4/7/2021 Closed 34 Portuguese Bend Road Old Code Case
391
4/7/2021 Closed 38 Portuguese Bend Road Old Code Case
4/1/2021 Closed 3 Lower Blackwater
Canyon
Dead Vegetation
3/29/2021 Closed 2 Spur Lane Dead Vegetation
3/26/2021 Closed 65 Eastfield Road Dead Vegetation
3/25/2021 Closed 77 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
3/22/2021 Closed 32 Portuguese Bend Road Dead Vegetation 3/17/2021 Closed 49 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
3/17/2021 Closed 57 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
3/17/2021 Closed 55 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
3/11/2021 Closed 6 Possum Ridge Road Dead Vegetation
3/4/2021 Closed 3 Spur Lane Dead Vegetation
2/23/2021 Closed 76 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
2/23/2021 Closed 74 Saddleback Road Dead Vegetation
2/23/2021 Closed 4 Possum Ridge Road Dead Vegetation
2/23/2021 Closed 2 Possum Ridge Road Dead Vegetation
2/23/2021 Closed 1 Crest Road East Dead Vegetation
2/3/2021 Closed 11 Upper Blackwater
Canyon Road
BMP
2/3/2021 Closed 12 Upper Blackwater
Canyon Road
Dead Vegetation
2/1/2021 Closed 59 Eastfield Drive Nuisance
1/27/2021 Closed 87 Crest Road East Dead Vegetation
3/11/2020 Open* 2950 Palos Verdes Drive Expired Permit
6/24/2020 Open* 61 Eastfield Drive Grading and Drainage Total Records: 78
Closed: 59
Not Closed: 19
*Open cases prior to 2021 that have not been closed
4/20/2022
392
Agenda Item No.: 14.A
Mtg. Date: 04/25/2022
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CHRISTIAN HORVATH,
THRU: ELAINE JENG P.E., CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957.6
CITY DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE: CITY MANAGER
UNREPRESENTED EMPLOYEE: SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYST

CANDIDATE
DATE: April 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:

None.

DISCUSSION:

None.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

RECOMMENDATION:

None.

ATTACHMENTS:
393