Brentwood Partnering with Belmont University to Study Reach of Tornado Sirens

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – On Saturday, June 3, when the City of Brentwood tests its outdoor tornado sirens, residents will be able to rate how well they can hear these signals. Shortly before 1 p.m., Brentwood citizens are encouraged to step outside and listen for the sirens. When the test is over, they can provide important safety feedback through a Tornado Siren Survey available at this link.

The survey’s data will be used by a team of Belmont University researchers to map out where the sirens are heard clearly, faintly, or not at all.

“With this information, my students and I will put out a few passive acoustic recorders to record in several different areas to determine the effective range of the tornado warning system,” Dr. Matthew C. Zeh, acoustician and Belmont Assistant Professor of Physics, said. “We’ll report this information back to the city for it to make any adjustments to the system it deems important.”

Brentwood is known for its picturesque hills, but the Belmont team will study if this beautiful topography hinders emergency alert sound waves during extreme weather conditions. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, Tennessee has experienced 31 major severe storm events in the last 10 years, causing between $5-$10 billion in damage.

To better protect its residents, Brentwood has developed an outdoor Tornado Warning System, with 19 emergency sirens located throughout the city. The sirens are activated when there is a tornado reported by a credible source within a ten-mile radius of Brentwood or a tornado warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for an area within or adjacent to the Brentwood city limits. A warning indicates that a tornado has been sighted or is indicated on radar.

For information, or the location of the city’s outdoor emergency sirens, visit Brentwood’s Tornado Warning System website.