RICHMOND (BCN) — The Contra Costa County Community Warning System had a false activation in Richmond on Tuesday afternoon, causing sirens to sound by mistake and prompting sharp criticism by the city’s mayor.
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt released a statement calling the Community Warning System a “failed concept” since it began operating in the mid-1990s, citing the slow pace at which Contra Costa County notified community members of the false alarm.
“Some of that is on those responsible for reporting incidents or activating it. Much of it is due to flaws in the system design and management,” Butt said.
The sirens were placed in the industrial corridor of the county to notify the community of chemical accidents, according to the county’s Community Awareness and Emergency Response website.
The website instructs community members, upon hearing the sirens, to stay inside, close all doors and windows, turn off all air conditioning and heating systems, turn on a radio to KCBS 740 AM, and stay off the
telephone so it is available to receive an informational call from the county.
“Following the recommended shelter in place protocol pretty much brings life in Richmond to a halt,” Butt said in his statement.
The county did not issue an all-clear alert until 3:34 p.m. Tuesday, more than half an hour after the sirens first sounded, Butt said.
“And only those who know how to access the county website had access to that information,” Butt said.
Butt personally took more than 20 minutes to find out from the Richmond Fire Department that it was a false alarm and published the information in an email to those subscribed to his e-forum.
“There is a real cost, particularly (for) those at work, to stop what they are doing, stay indoors, close doors and windows, turn off the HVAC, turn on the radio to listen for non-existent information and avoid using the phone to wait for a phone call that never came,” Butt said.
Contra Costa County sheriff’s officials said that the sirens went off at 3:08 p.m., indicating that their all-clear alert was not quite as delayed as Butt alleged.
Sheriff’s officials attributed the false alarm to a new hardware component, and said that the errant hardware setting has since been adjusted.
“The Contra Costa County Community Warning System understands the impact of an accidental siren activation on those affected in the community, and is working diligently to prevent errant alarms from occurring,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.