The Oceanside Police Department (OPD) joined other regional agencies in rolling  out a new siren system built into patrol vehicles that will emit a high, then low repeating siren tone which will warn neighborhoods that they need to evacuate if there is immediate danger.

The Hi-Lo siren is distinct from those used when emergency officials are responding to an emergency call.  Learn more and hear the siren

OPD will only use this critical warning system to inform neighborhoods of an evacuation order in the event of natural disasters, extreme emergencies, or critical incidents such as wildfires, flash floods, tsunamis, or other threats. It may also be for SWAT standoffs, gas leaks, hazmat spills and sinkholes that pose an immediate danger to neighbors.

This will be one more emergency tool for the region. Traditional notification systems, such as AlertSanDiego phone calls, loudspeaker announcements and door-to-door notifications will continue to be used.

Being prepared is key to staying safe. To learn more about preparing for emergencies and evacuations in an emergency, visit ReadySanDiego.org. Download the SD Emergency App to your smartphone to help you plan, prepare, get informed, and recover from an emergency. The app is equipped with ShakeReadySD early earthquake warning.  Don’t forget to register your cell phone to receive AlertSanDiego emergency notifications. Landline numbers are automatically included in the 9-1-1 database and will be called in an emergency, but many residents only use cell phones as a main contact and that cell number needs to be correlated to your address to get emergency notifications.