Siren to go off again

By Tania Martin
EMERALD residents have welcomed a CFA back flip over a decision to silence the town’s brigade siren.
More than 600 people had signed a petition to keep the siren.
This comes after the Gazette reported in its story, ‘CFA siren silenced’ on 27 January, where residents called for the decision to be reversed.
The plan to dump the siren was made last May as part of a planning permit for the brigades’ new station house in Emerald-Monbulk Road.
Cardinia Shire Council told the Gazette there had been a number of objections to the siren and the applicant (the CFA) had amended the proposal and removed the siren.
But resident Nicole Coomer slammed the decision saying it was ‘unsafe’.
She said many residents didn’t know the siren would be removed as part of the station upgrade and it was disappointing the wider community had not been consulted.
Ms Coomer told the Gazette that many used the siren as a first alert point.
She said once the siren goes off residents are alerted to an incident and start to put their plans into action if needed.
Ms Coomer last week said the CFA had decided to reverse its decision.
She welcomed the latest developments as great news, but said she planned to submit the petition to the council.
Emerald CFA Captain Paul Yandle said the move to reinstate the siren was already being considered when the petition was launched.
“They (CFA) had already started looking at it several weeks before,” he said.
Mr Yandle has reminded residents that the siren is primarily for brigade members to notify them of impending call-outs.
A CFA spokeswoman said the new station had been designed to include the provision for a siren to be connected.
She said since the Black Saturday bushfires there was a clear need in high-risk wildfire areas to have a siren at their station.
“Sirens were originally used to advise brigade members to turn out for an incident… although members are now alerted via a pager message, the brigade can decide if they want to retain a siren at the station,” she said.
“A siren will remain at the existing Emerald station and a will also be connected at the new facility when construction is complete.”
Council spokesman Paul Dunlop said planning approval would be required if the siren was to be installed at the new station house.