FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. – Benton and Franklin counties’ Emergency Management offices announced that annual siren testing will take place on Thursday, October 16 along the Columbia and Yakima rivers.
The sirens will be heard between 10:00 a.m. and noon.
Testing will be done in portions of Benton and Franklin counties within 10 miles of Columbia Generating Station, Emergency Management said.
Sirens may be heard along the Columbia River between Vernita Bridge and Leslie Groves Park in north Richland. They also may be heard at the Horn Rapids Off-Road Vehicle Park, the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility and adjoining areas to the Columbia Generating Station.
The siren systems will each be tested multiple times, and each test will be bookended by voice announcements stating the activation is due to a test and not an emergency.
EMS emphasized that no public response is required during the tests.
“Additionally, Benton and Franklin Counties will test their CodeRed System for residents living within approximately 10 miles of Columbia Generating Station only, this will not be a county wide test,” Emergency Management wrote in a press release.
The Emergency Alert System will also be tested at 10:16 a.m.
