Warren County making changes to the COWS system

WARREN COUNTY, Ky. – As we get closer to the fall season, we also enter the second severe weather season of the year.

Community Outdoor Warning Sirens, or COWS, are becoming more important during that time, and the county is taking steps to making sure they are being used to the best of their ability. In Plum Springs a COWS will be relocated from a private property to a local church that volunteered to host it. The sirens have also undergone daily checks to keep up with maintenance.

But the county has also recognized that technology will soon beginning the process of upgrading the current system while looking grant opportunities to potentially add more sirens to the community.

“Potentially transitioning it over a period of time to the 800MHz system, which is what the firefighters and police officers are currently operating on. And the 800MHz system is top of the line. We are very fortunate to have that system for emergency response in the county. So we’re thinking that, based on the recommendations we’re receiving from the experts, that if we transition at all, the signal capabilities are only going to increase,” said Director of Public Safety Bill Rector.

Rector does want to remind residents that these are outdoor warning sirens and are not intended to warn resident inside buildings. Rector says that they will continue to use national government sources to warn as many resident as they can.