|
During a major emergency, City of Chicago officials will work to provide timely, accurate information to the public. The City has several public information procedures and/or tools in place that may be used during a major emergency or disaster.
Media
City of Chicago officials will coordinate with all members of the media, radio and television, to deliver accurate information to the public.
Back to Top
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
Similar to the system used by the National Weather Services to deliver emergency weather information through television and radio channels, the City of Chicago can send instant messages with important emergency information into the Chicago market as well.
Back to Top
911 Callback
This system will send a recorded message to telephones in a geographically specified area or to a pre-programmed list of contacts
Back to Top
Emergency Warning System (EWS)
EWS an outdoor, all-hazards siren system that is used to warn the general population of a potential danger in a short amount of time and to notify them that the emergency has passed.
Back to Top
Emergency Information Telephone Bank
During a response to or recovery from a widespread disaster or major emergency affecting large areas or populations, the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications may activate the Emergency Information Telephone Bank (312-745-INFO or 877-745-INFO).
This information line is designed to provide critical event-specific information, such as closures, evacuation areas, access points, or about support services such as financial or family assistance available to victims or their relatives.
Back to Top
311 City Services Operators
Our non-emergency telephone line operators will be provided with updated emergency event information as frequently as possible.
Back to Top
City of Chicago websites
www.cityofchicago.org or www.alertchicago.com
Back to Top
Emergency vehicles' public address systems
All emergency vehicles are equipped with public address systems. These can be used to make announcements to citizens.
Back to Top
Sirens
The City of Chicago's Emergency Warning System (EWS) is an outdoor, all-hazards siren system that is used to warn the general population of a potential danger in a short amount of time and to notify them that the emergency has passed.
Chicago currently has 112 sirens located strategically on poles 1 to 2 miles apart throughout the City to ensure total citywide coverage. EWS may be activated by individual siren, by siren zone (there are 12 siren zones in Chicago), or citywide.
What Do the Sirens Mean?
The system uses two siren tones only. When they are activated during an emergency, the sirens will be activated for 3 minutes.
- Alert: An up-and-down, rising and falling tone to signify an emergency alert. This signal may be used to signify a major emergency or disaster, including a severe storm, tornado warning (not a tornado watch), earthquake, chemical hazard/hazardous material incident, extreme winds, biological hazard or event.
- All Clear: A flat, level tone to signify that the emergency event or conditions have passed and there is no immediate or direct threat to the community.
Siren Test:
Please note that the City does perform a monthly siren test to ensure all sirens are functioning. The entire system is tested for 30 seconds at 10:00am on the first Tuesday of every month.
What Should I Do if I Hear the Sirens?
If the sirens are activated - and it is not our monthly 30-second siren test - the public should see it as a signal to:
- Seek shelter
- Tune into radio or television to get information about:
- Type of Emergency
- Instructions & Recommendations
- Wait for the All Clear
The public should not call 9-1-1 unless they have an actual emergency.
|
.jpg)
