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Lakeport Police Department implements hi-lo siren for emergency evacuation orders
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department said it is rolling out the use of hi-lo sirens that will be used in times when emergency evacuations are necessary.
Over the past several years, California has been ravaged by wildfires, causing massive destruction and disruption to many families and their communities.
In July 2018, the Mendocino Complex fire created conditions so hazardous and dangerous that the city of Lakeport issued an evacuation order for the entire city, the first-ever citywide evacuation in Lakeport’s history.
Since then, officials said the city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Police Department have made improvements and procedural adjustments to better serve the community and streamline the approach to protecting the citizens of Lakeport.
With the approach of this year’s fire season, the Lakeport Police Department has joined many other law enforcement agencies in adopting and implementing the use of a hi-lo siren in its police vehicles to distinguish this siren from other commonly used sirens.
The department said the hi-lo siren will be used exclusively for times when the city has issued an evacuation order for citizens of Lakeport or in any other circumstance where there is a large and immediate threat to life safety.
Many people may have heard a hi-lo siren on television shows depicting a law enforcement vehicle in countries abroad, mainly in the United Kingdom or Europe.
This siren, is as its name applies, is a dual note siren with a high-frequency pitch followed by a low-frequency pitch as demonstrated in the video above.
“When you hear this siren, please follow the orders given by the emergency broadcast in a safe and efficient manner,” police said.
The Lakeport Police Department has also frequently responded to law enforcement mutual aid calls to surrounding counties and cities that are also using this hi-lo siren for the same evacuation orders.
An evacuation order means that there is an immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now and that the area is lawfully closed to the public.
The designation of this order will be accompanied by activation of the emergency broadcast system and those who have enrolled in the notification service will receive an emergency alert on their cellular phone and/or hard line telephone.
To get other community and emergency alerts on your cellular phone from the city of Lakeport, sign up for Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777.