A test run on a tsunami siren system in the Papamoa Beach area on Friday impressed some residents with the quality and clarity of the sound alert.
Kordia People and Technology tested two tsunami sirens at the intersection of Palm Beach Boulevard and Sovereign Drive, and on Papamoa Beach Road by Alexander Place with the look to install a permanent siren system in the beachfront area.
The alerts were carried out between 9am and 12pm today.
Kordia project manager Ron Gorter says the sirens were tested for the quality and reach of the sound.
'We're trying not to exceed a recommended level of 105 close to the system but we are trying to throw it about 1250m from this point to down the road.
'What we did was have a speaker up a cherry picker at one point and another on 2.5km down the road on a cherry picker.”
Ron says they measured the sound in increments of 100m, 200m, 500m and 800m.
'We also measured how far it spreads out to the sides as well.”
Ron says the system is flexible and efficient.
The sound was tested from different distances from the tsunami sirens.
'We have designed this so it will use a minimum of power and in the broader context of it you can run it off solar power.”
Tsunami Survive Cluster group member Howard Severinsen says the siren sounds different to other emergency sirens and is followed by a verbal message.
Tauranga City Council communications manager Elizabeth Hughes says emergency services including police, fire and civil defence were on hand to assist if they were needed.
If you wish to provide feedback on the sirens you can visit www.tauranga.govt.nz
33 comments
Perfect conditions!
Posted on 01-06-2012 14:24 | By penguin
Not wishing to minimise the excercise in any way, but the weather conditions were perfect for such tests - little or no wind. I wonder how well it works in a howling gale?
Waste of money
Posted on 01-06-2012 15:01 | By pomfart
What a waste of time and money. I live 500m from the sea and I didn't hear it. Still, good of Louis Theroux to turn up to do the honours.
Blimey - failure again
Posted on 01-06-2012 17:09 | By Raewyne T
I live off Evans Road, never heard a thing. I had every window and door open. But I did hear the trains and the planes flying overhead.
NO WAY
Posted on 01-06-2012 20:12 | By kiwisan
You must be kidding. I was in the surf at the domain ,could see the cherry picker, The southerly was blowing directly from the siren towards us and we thought we may have heard a few beep sounds a few times during the various testings!!! PATHETIC .. Then the Fire Siren went off..It is twice the distance away in exactly the same direction AND it was 4 times as loud??????? Do not say it was a success because you are straight out lying. Try buying Real sirens you turkeys. We are paying for them so do it once and do it RIGHT! From and obviously angry local. Try buying some from Japan or get some old world War 2 jobies.
One More Thing.
Posted on 01-06-2012 20:30 | By kiwisan
The people at the local Kindergarden which is only a couple of hundred metres(if that) away from the cherrypicker didnt hear a thing at all????? Success?
untitled
Posted on 01-06-2012 23:54 | By traceybjammet
i thought warnings were now being sent through mobiles and land-lines etc. I fail to see how people shut tightly in their houses will hear any outside sirens and how fast do we think we can run??? Would rather see money spent on co-ordinating systems for hospitals, emergency services and the after the event training and knowledge for people. Where to head if they survive
And then
Posted on 02-06-2012 05:49 | By Hector
There is the hearing impaired, talk about stepping back into the "blitz", and I cannot stop but wonder why, since 99% of people over all walks have life have cell phones, why have not the Civil Defence people, worked in with tele communication providors, to have a warning alarm/vibrating system, that is triggered in an emergency, and a message on screen to warn people, if sirens up poles is the only thing we can think of, how the hell did Rutherford split the atom!!!!
Cell Phone System
Posted on 02-06-2012 10:14 | By kiwiwayno
Seems to me that the council arent going to take the bull by the horns and utilise technology (ie Cellphones) to notify people so someone needs to take the bull by the horns. Problem is systems like this arent cheap to set up. What would YOU pay to subscribe to a cell phone notification system - $10 a year? $20?
Another thought
Posted on 02-06-2012 14:59 | By penguin
Since the test monitoring was done at the maximum height of the cherry picker, does that suggest that "listeners" need to be at that level to hear anything? Use the good old trustworthy and audible air raid / fire siren. Can be heard for kilometres!! Just change the oscillations of the siren so it does not get confused with a volunteer fire one...
Didn't Hear
Posted on 02-06-2012 15:26 | By Jitter
Unfortunately I left Papamoa (Beachmere Place)to go to Tauranga CBD at 10.00 am but up to that time had heard zilch and was listening hard. From the comments above I would think that the test was not the success the report states it was. Someone is telling porkies - again.
Logical . .
Posted on 02-06-2012 16:41 | By bigted
If locals can hear the fire siren better then, how about the fire siren on for 30 seconds, off for 30 seconds, repeated until clear? This would also let the volunteers know to scramble to base. Too easy?
listen
Posted on 02-06-2012 21:41 | By evoetr
Did any of you Muppets actually look at the video? It was a isolated test with a couple of sirens, not a full system test. You can't fix stupid
BIGITED
Posted on 02-06-2012 22:49 | By YOGI
That is to simple, they can not spend wildly from public coffers in a completely pointless way "AND" at the same time claim how wanderful a job they did.
Damn Tuis'
Posted on 03-06-2012 08:59 | By morab
I was in my house 300 metres to the west of Palm Beach Blvd in a direct line.....I couldn't hear a sound over the call of the Tuis'
Papamoaner
Posted on 03-06-2012 09:14 | By Papamoaner
I agree with Penguin. The proven efficient and reliable longlife WW2 sirens can be rotated up and down to warn, and then run constant to stand-down. Rotating them up and down also makes them noise-safe for people that are near to them. Why waste ratepayers money on 20 sirens that last a few years and sound squeaky, when you can do it with 2 or 3 strong sirens that sound really scary and last forever? Who is it that makes these strange decisions? Ratepayers unite!
Tsunami Siren warning
Posted on 03-06-2012 09:40 | By Adrian Muller
I live about 100 metres from he Alexandra Road site, and during the morning I heard a siren going. I thought that must be the tsunami siren. When I read in Kiwisan's comment that the Fire-brigade siren also went off during the morning, I realise now,having watched the video, it was that (ie Fire-brigade's) which I heard, and not the tsunami one at all!
at evoetr
Posted on 03-06-2012 14:55 | By kiwisan
You can't fix uninformed Either it seems.We were mid way between the two sirens. Where were you???
FIRE SIREN
Posted on 04-06-2012 11:15 | By TERMITE
That worked and heard that, but when did they set off the Tsunami sirens? they are just down the end of the road here, never heard a thing from them. We are all doomed to become part of the floating debris of a Tsunami arent we ??? :(:(:(
AIR RAID SIRENS
Posted on 04-06-2012 17:33 | By TERMITE
Even the tight ol poms figured out what was best in WW2, 70 years later they are still trying to reinvent the wheel, what part have they not learned still ... progress ...
BOOM BOOM BOOM ?
Posted on 05-06-2012 09:30 | By POCO O POCO
Doubt you could class this a success as it seems no one heard them .Just cut the cackle and install Hawaii type Pacific Rim sirens or British World War 2 type. With $1m set aside TCC should get Rolls Royce sirens and service.From what I see and hear(?) however TCC are not going to get this project right either.
What would it be like..
Posted on 05-06-2012 15:24 | By tibs
At night in winter when the curtains are drawn and the TV on? Or worse, a stormy night in winter. Would it be a wake up call to sleeping residents? As far as cellphones and landlines went, when the Samoan Tsunami was occurring, they decided not to try the text system as it would overload the network. Remember that was the one you could sign up for, for little or no cost at that stage.
FORGET SIRENS
Posted on 07-06-2012 23:20 | By Crash test dummies
Folks you are going to have to look after yourself, either figure when a Tsunami is coming or move uphill a bit as a self preservation move. The alternate is lets put the local Councilors in a row of Council flats (at beach renal rates x2) at the beach front (must be behind a sand dune so no view) then lets see how long the siren problem then takes to fix properly. Self preservation would soon kick in.
SIRENS START OF PROBLEM
Posted on 08-06-2012 13:16 | By Crash test dummies
Even if Council provides sirens that work then the next problem is getting to higher ground, the roads will be immediately blocked the fleeing motorists.
Escape on foot
Posted on 09-06-2012 08:29 | By Papamoaner
Yes, but many people can walk to and up, Papamoa Hill, Mt Drury, and the Mount itself, and to high buildings. Many might not make it, especially the disabled, but many lives would still be saved by an early warning. Even a warning as short as one hour, could save many lives.
PAPAMOA EON
Posted on 10-06-2012 14:37 | By TERMITE
True any warning will help, that is my point to, the sirens currently being installed for a $1 million odd of ratepayers money are a feeble effort indeed, they will warn a few but not the masses at large, the only warning they will have is when the tide comes in, to late of course.
THE MESSAGE IS ...
Posted on 12-06-2012 10:10 | By PLONKER
Failure! the only test will be when the waves are on there way here and no one knows. That must be the most classic case of accountable and transparency that there could be, sad part no one will be left to point out the obvious afterwards as none will be left!
CAN'T COMPLAIN
Posted on 13-06-2012 15:45 | By PLONKER
Once the wave has been through no one left to complain then about phailed sirens.
MINI MOUSE AND PIP SQUEEKS
Posted on 16-06-2012 15:31 | By PLONKER
Why install these no where near what is needed, 70 years ago the sirens of WW2 worked and people were able to avoid the bombings of London easily as a result. This is a waste of time.
LEAVE THEM IN THE BOXES
Posted on 20-06-2012 19:09 | By TERMITE
Will be as about useful looking at all these comments, clear that it is a gravy train of cash for someone but no real result otherwise.
MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR
Posted on 21-06-2012 20:18 | By Hebegeebies
Just get the World War 2 type sirens from the guy in Wellington and be done with it.Forget the type being flogged here they will be useless and a complete waste of a million bucks.Perhaps that is too simple for TCC they never get it right as plan to lose/fail specialists. DAH.
HARD TO
Posted on 24-06-2012 10:51 | By PLONKER
Follow or hear the real story hear, the result falls well short of the desired actual result wanted. Is all this instead just a bit of image stuff, looks like we did something to keep the masses happy?
.
Posted on 27-06-2012 13:24 | By pomarie
Classic case of wealthy wingers that live on the oceans edge. Property developers goldmine where only the wealthy can afford to live. If you dont like it, then move.
That's a subjective comment
Posted on 27-06-2012 17:37 | By Papamoaner
Well, I guess the Wealthy people can at least spell when they write! Actually, unless you live on a hill, you at at risk just as much as the coastal people because a large tsunami will inundate most of Tauranga, not just Papamoa.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.