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Ramsey County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2018 Page | 54 Outdoor Warning Sirens – There are 91 outdoor warning sirens deployed around Ramsey County. Of these 91 sirens, 55 are in suburban Ramsey County and 36 are in Saint Paul. In 2015, Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center started a project to integrate two separate outdoor warning siren systems into a single, county-wide system using Federal Signal’s CommanderOne system. Under the direction of and with funding from the Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center, Federal Signal first conducted and completed a sound propagation study and a thorough inventory of siren systems in municipal Ramsey County (Saint Paul upgraded all their sirens to compatible versions). This information was shared with all the municipalities and those that own outdoor warning sirens upgraded those sirens that required it. As of June 2018, all upgraded sirens were installed and are on line with the CommanderOne system. All the sirens in Ramsey County are activated by Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center. Sirens are activated when the National Weather Service notifies Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center that there are high winds or tornado conditions that pose risk to public safety. Sirens may also be activated for other situations such as a hazardous materials incident under the direction of an Incident Commander. Skywarn Program – Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security offers Skywarn training in conjunction with Metro Skywarn on an annual basis to local public safety personnel, Ramsey County employees and residents that wish to be trained as volunteers. Metro Skywarn spotters help to keep our local municipalities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to our local National Weather Service office. Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security monitors local Skywarn nets and relays information to appropriate persons as needed. Severe Weather Awareness Week – Ramsey County helps promote and participates in the National Weather Service’s “Severe Weather Awareness Week” held in April each year. The event seeks to educate residents on the dangers of severe summer storms and highlights the importance of preparing for severe weather before it strikes. School Closings – The major school districts within Ramsey County have school closing policies and communications plans in place if inclement weather or temperatures create a hazardous situation for students or staff. School districts also use local mass media to relay information. Severe Weather Shelters – The state requires shelters for manufactured home parks with 10 or more manufactured homes per MN Statute 327.20. Ramsey County has 14 manufactured homes parks. Of these parks, 12 have indicated they have shelters, one has stated it does not and one is in an unknown status meaning that the shelter may or may not exist, and if it does, it may or may not be habitable. It is also unknown with all the parks whether the existing shelters have capacity needed for populations present. Given that this has become an issue with local media of late, Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security will, in cooperation/coordination with other partners, place an emphasis on this activity. See KSTP News Story here: http://kstp.com/news/mobile-home-park-severe- weather-storm-shelter-minnesota-law-nowhere-to-hide-chetek-wisconsin/4564189/?cat=5 Aboveground Power Lines – Much of the power lines in the county are aboveground and subject to damage from ice storms, wind, and falling tree limbs resulting in power outages. Ramsey County and municipalities will work with power utilities to prioritize burying power lines to critical facilities.