Siren to be placed near Decatur school

DECATUR — Work to install one of three donated tornado sirens near Northside Elementary School here is underway.

The siren has been mounted on the telephone pole and an electrician has done the necessary wiring, Fire Chief David Flynt said. The next step will be to have Empire Electric set the pole in the ground and have an electrician hook-up electricity to the siren.

The new siren will have to be activated manually until the telephone company installs the necessary technology to have the siren activated by phone.

Flynt estimated the siren would be ready to use manually in the next couple of weeks. He said it's his goal to put the other two donated sirens on Browning Road south of Decatur and on Tilly Hill Road east of Decatur - two of the highest points in the area.

Flynt said his plans could change, depending on how loud the siren at Northside proves to be. Installing the siren at Northside will also give him abetter idea of the costs associated with placing the other two sirens.

Flynt said the sirens were donated by the city of Pine Bluff, because it replaced all of its tornado sirens. He explained Paul Lemke of Springtown drove to Pine Bluff and got three sirens for Decatur and three sirens for the city of Springtown.

The additions would give Decatur and the surrounding community six sirens, including the sirens on the water tower at the high school football field, the siren at city hall and at Edmiston Fields.