Ann Arbor launches community engagement on possible decommissioning of outdoor warning siren system
The City of Ann Arbor is inviting community members to share feedback on the possible decommissioning of the city’s outdoor warning siren system.
Ann Arbor is considering retiring its 22 outdoor warning sirens because newer emergency alert technologies provide clearer, more detailed instructions to residents during emergencies. The city has launched a public engagement webpage where residents can complete a community survey and ask questions at engage.a2gov.org/siren-review.
From March through October, Ann Arbor’s sirens are tested at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month with a one-minute wail (testing resumes March 10). The sirens are an outdoor warning system only and are not intended to be heard indoors. When activated, they serve as an attention-getting tool and instruct residents to “go in and tune in” to other information sources for details.
In the past five years, the sirens have been activated twice — both in July 2023 — to alert people to severe weather, including during the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
The current system is aging and requires ongoing investment. The city expects to spend approximately $60,000 annually over the next three years on repairs, followed by roughly $17,000 per year in maintenance costs.
If the sirens are decommissioned, the city would continue to warn residents through multiple modern alerting methods. These include Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which are automatically delivered to WEA-capable cell phones in a defined geographic area for imminent, life-threatening emergencies, and A2 Emergency Alerts, the city’s opt-in system that provides informational and lower-threat alerts by text, email or phone call. These tools offer clear instructions, language accessibility and geographic precision that outdoor sirens cannot.
“Emergency alerts are critical for life safety during an emergency,” said Sydney Parmenter, Ann Arbor’s emergency manager. “Outdoor warning sirens were designed decades ago to alert people who were outdoors. With the advancements in emergency alerting technology, we are interested in learning from our community what types of emergency alerting tools they rely on and reach them best.”
The proposed review of the siren system is guided by three core principles: public safety effectiveness, clarity and comprehension of emergency information, and responsible use of public funds. Decommissioning the sirens would not eliminate emergency warnings but would shift resources toward systems that align with how people receive information today.
The city will collect community feedback throughout March 2026. Following the survey period, staff will summarize the results and develop a recommendation on the future of the siren system to present to the City Council.
Community members may complete the survey, ask questions and learn more about the project at engage.a2gov.org/siren-review.
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Media Contact:
Joanna Satterlee, City Communications Manager, jesatterlee@a2gov.org