Belpre Emergency Warning System

The City of Belpre operates 3 outdoor warning sirens within the City. The BEWS is used to alert the Belpre Volunteer Fire Department of a fire run and to warn the citizens to a Tornado Warning/ Sighting or an Emergency or Disaster within the City.

How the System Works

When the Communications Center, located within the Belpre Municipal Building, receives notification of a pending Tornado Warning or sighting, or a city emergency/disaster, the sirens in the City of Belpre are activated by Belpre Dispatch. Once activated, the BEWS system will sound an alert for 5 minutes. When the Belpre Dispatch needs to call out the Volunteer Fire Department the BEWS system is activated and goes through 5 cycles of the siren which is approximately 2-3 minutes.

When the Siren Sounds

The BEWS is sounded during the following incidents:

• The Belpre Volunteer Fire Department is needed for a fire run.
• The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for a 20 mile radius of the City of Belpre, incorporating the areas of southern Washington & Athens Counties in Ohio, and the central and southern areas of Wood County in West Virginia. Once the Tornado Warning has been issued, the sirens will activate for 5 minutes.
• An emergency or disaster within the City makes it necessary that citizens need to seek shelter or evacuate to a safe refuge. The BEWS will activate for 5 minutes.

What to Do Upon the BEWS Activation

Seek shelter and monitor local television or radio stations for the most up-to-date weather or emergency information and instructions when the alert has been activated for 5 minutes. Do nothing if the alert has only cycled 5 times which indicates the alert was for the Volunteer Fire Department.

Important Facts:

Tornado Warning:

Issued when a tornado has been sighted or is eminent. Seek safety and move to a safe place immediately.

Tornado Watch:

Conditions are favorable for a tornado. Listen to your local radio station or television station for further details. Be prepared to move to a safe place.

It is against the law to tamper with or damage a siren (ORC 5502.37C). Anyone caught tampering with a siren will be aggressively prosecuted and penalized accordingly (ORC 5502.99C). To report an inoperative siren, call (740)-423-7631, 24 hours a day.