Outdoor Warning System: Emergency Siren Network

Type: Other Infrastructure

Status: Construction

Project Location

The installation of 10 sirens—has been completed at these locations:

Berkeley Fire Station 7, 3000 Shasta Rd., Berkeley, CA 94708
Berkeley Harbormaster's Office, 201 University Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710
Berkeley Animal Shelter, 1 Bolivar Dr., Berkeley, CA 94710
Zaytuna College Upper Campus, 2770 Marin Ave., Berkeley, CA 94708
Berkeley City Hall, 2180 Milvia St., Berkeley, CA 94704
Cragmont Elementary, 830 Regal Rd., Berkeley, CA 94708
Emerson Elementary, 2800 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705
Sylvia Mendez Elementary School, 2840 Ellsworth St., Berkeley, CA 94705
Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, 1781 Rose St., Berkeley, CA 94703
Berkeley Adult School, 1701 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702

WHAT'S HAPPENING

The Outdoor Warning System includes emergency sirens at 15 locations across Berkeley. The installation of 5 more sirens in the last part of Phase II is ongoing, and some locations may change as the permitting and installation process is finalized in late 2023/2024. As sirens are added in Phase II, we will update the map to reflect these new locations. Explore the current siren locations on the map below.

In 2023, the City of Berkeley introduced a new outdoor warning system to alert people outdoors to emergency conditions. You can listen to sample siren and warning sounds for emergency warnings, tsunamis, shelter-in-place orders, evacuation warnings, evacuation warnings for fire, and extreme danger due to fire.

The outdoor warning system will broadcast siren tones and spoken life safety instructions over any of the 15 sirens located on top of buildings throughout Berkeley. It will be used alongside other alert and warning tools, including AC Alert, Berkeley's Emergency Map, and Wireless Emergency Alerts.

In April 2023, the City completed installation of the ten sirens and will continue to expand the network to 5 additional locations throughout 2023 and 2024. Sirens are located on top of city facilities and partner facilities, including Zaytuna College and Berkeley Unified School District.

City Council approved a $1.97 million contract with Genasys Inc in September 2021 to build and install the 15-siren outdoor warning system. To support operations during power outages and in disasters, the sirens are capable of running on solar-powered battery backup and can be controlled remotely via satellite.