RHINELANDER - People in Rhinelander will see a change to severe weather alerts this summer. Sirens will no longer go off for every Severe Thunderstorm Warning in place for Rhinelander. It's part of an effort to make sure sirens blare only during severe weather.
"It seems like when we set those sirens off, the storm would skirt to the north or south of Rhinelander, and people wonder 'Why did we even set the sirens off?'," said Rhinelander Fire Chief Terry Williams. "We've kind of got the 'Cry Wolf Syndrome' going, where when the sirens did go off, people really didn't pay too much attention to them."
Now, the sirens will only be used when Rhinelander is under a Tornado Warning. The sirens could be used in special cases for life-threatening thunderstorms. For that to happen, the Rhinelander Fire Department, Oneida County Emergency Management, and Weather Watch 12 meteorologists will all weigh in on the decision. People in Rhinelander have different opinions on how effective the sirens are for them.
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