Kent County to Begin Year-Round Outdoor Warning Siren Testing Nov. 6
System upgrades will improve warning precision and monitoring
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (November 5, 2026) - Kent County will begin year-round testing of its outdoor warning sirens on Friday, Nov. 6, at noon. Tests will occur at noon on the first Friday of each month, including throughout the winter, with one three-minute siren cycle per test.
Previously, routine testing took place only from April through October. The year-round schedule will allow public safety officials and local communities to regularly verify that the system is functioning in every season.
Tests will be postponed or canceled when threatening weather or other circumstances could cause them to be mistaken for an actual emergency warning.
The City of Grand Rapids is also moving to year-round testing beginning November 6 and issued a separate news release on Monday detailing its testing schedule and changes to its siren system.
The change comes as the Kent County Emergency Management team nears completion of a major modernization of the County’s outdoor warning siren system, replacing aging technology.
The multi-year effort has been made possible through support from the Kent County Board of Commissioners, participation and investment by local cities, villages and townships, and coordination among the Kent County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Unit, Kent County Emergency Communications, the City of Grand Rapids, local public safety agencies, West Shore Services, and Federal Signal.
“Protecting our residents is a shared responsibility, and this project demonstrates what we can accomplish when the County and our local communities work together,” said Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Ben Greene. “These investments will help ensure our warning system is reliable and ready when our communities need it.”
More Targeted Emergency Warnings
One of the most significant improvements is geographically targeted siren activation. Historically, outdoor warning siren systems often relied on large, predetermined activation areas. The upgraded system will allow emergency officials to more closely match activation to the area threatened by severe weather or another emergency.
“As a warning moves or changes, the system can adjust which upgraded sirens are activated. This means residents miles away from a hazard may no longer hear repeated siren activations simply because they live within the same large activation zone,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Corbin.
During a qualifying emergency, sirens will sound in approximately three-minute cycles. Additional cycles may occur as warning information is updated for areas that remain threatened. The system will retain the ability to activate sirens countywide when a broader warning is needed.
Using Federal Signal’s Commander system and CommanderOne platform, Kent County and the City of Grand Rapids have developed consistent controls that allow dispatchers to quickly select warning areas. Emergency Communications and Emergency Management staff are receiving training as the system moves toward full implementation.
Local communities have worked with West Shore Services to evaluate their existing sirens and identify needed upgrades. Many have already approved or completed those improvements, and Kent County Emergency Management will continue working with local jurisdictions to connect additional sirens to the modernized system.
What to Do When Sirens Sound
Outdoor warning sirens are intended primarily to alert people who are outdoors to tornadoes, damaging winds, hazardous-material incidents or other significant threats. When a siren sounds outside a scheduled test, residents should go indoors, seek shelter when appropriate and immediately obtain additional information from official sources, local media, weather alerts or other emergency notification systems.
There is no separate “all clear” siren signal. Residents should rely on official information to determine when a threat has passed.
“When severe weather or another emergency threatens our community, reliable warnings help people take action to protect themselves,” said Sheriff Bryan Muir. “This modernization strengthens our ability to alert the public, and we encourage residents to have multiple ways to receive emergency information.”
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