Mitcham Hills Bushfire Siren Trial

The SA Country Fire Service in partnership with the Blackwood and Belair District Community Association and the Blackwood South Neighbourhood Watch is conducting a bushfire warning siren trial in the Mitcham Hills area in January 2009 until the end of the Fire Danger Season.

The purpose of the trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of sirens for alerting the community to bushfire and to assess the use of sirens as a stimulus for appropriate community response.

It has been agreed that the sirens will be sounded for any CFS bomber response to bushfire or grassfire in the Mitcham Hills area.  Sirens will also be activated at the discretion of the local CFS if fires in adjacent areas are likely to pose a threat to the Mitcham Hills community.   

Sirens are located at:

• Belair Fire Stations
• Blackwood Fire Stations
• Eden Hills Fire Stations
• Myrtle Road 
• Blackwood Water Tower 

These sirens will be sounded simultaneously for the period of the trial.

CFS is seeking 500 residents from the Mitcham Hills area to participate in the siren trial which will require the completion of a pre and post trial survey and a log of observations and actions upon hearing the siren.

Concern has been expressed regarding the value of siren activation for alerting the community and CFS advises that residents should not be reliant solely on the sounding of sirens but rather use every means available to remain aware of bushfire threat including weather forecasts, radio broadcasts, local telephone trees etc.  

The intention of siren activation is to prompt community members to seek further information on bushfire in the area and to put their Bushfire Action Plan in place.

DO NOT CALL 000 WHEN YOU HEAR A SIREN

DO get information when you hear a siren by;

• Logging on to CFS website for details
• Calling CFS Bushfire Information Hotline 1300 362 361
• Listening to your local ABC AM or FiveAA radio station

If you are interested in being part of the trial you can register at CFS Bushfire Siren Trial

On completion of the pre-trial survey you will be sent a log book for completion whenever you hear the siren in your area and the post-trial survey will be published on the website at the completion of the trial.