Waupun Adding Fourth Tornado Siren On Southeast Side

(Waupun) The Waupun Common Council agreed Tuesday night to add a fourth emergency siren in the city. Last fall Federal Signal, which is a company that specializes in emergency and communication equipment, installed three sirens around Waupun. Following the project concerns quickly arose around the distribution of sound around the southeast corner of the city. Fire Chief BJ DeMaa (pictured) says residents on Andy Lane, Robin Road and Buwalda Drive had issues hearing the sirens. DeMaa says Federal Signal sent representatives to check the sound levels and determined that there were inadequacies in that part of Waupun reaching an 80 decibel threshold. He says based on the sound studies conducted, the area was falling two-to-eleven decibels short of that mark. At that time, Federal Signal determined a fourth siren would be needed and offered to cover the $18,000 cost for the unit. DeMaa says the gesture is a show of good faith from the company. The city will only be responsible to cover the cost of the pole and electrical connections which is estimated to be around $10,000. DeMaa says the goal is to have the fourth siren in place by the end of this year.