On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, Palo Verde Generating Station (PVGS), in cooperation with local and State agencies, will test the outdoor warning sirens located within a 10-mile radius of the power plant.
The annual testing will activate the sirens twice, once at 12:00 p.m. and again at 12:30 p.m., to ensure operability. Volunteers from the West Valley Amateur Radio Club, the Tri-City Amateur Radio Club, Arizona Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other unaffiliated ham operators will be stationed at each siren and immediately report siren activation to emergency managers.
Notifications about this test were mailed to West Valley mayors and staffs as well as to residents and businesses within the 10-mile radius of PVGS. Signs have been posted throughout the local area. In addition, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will activate electronic message signs along Interstate-10 in the West Valley to notify drivers of the test.
Sirens are part of the “Alert and Notification System” required by federal regulations. This annual testing of the siren system is required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In the unlikely event of an emergency at Palo Verde requiring public notification, one of three response agencies (Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office or the Arizona Department of Public Safety) would activate the alerting sirens as a means of directing residents to turn on their radios and televisions. An Emergency Alert System message would then provide the public with emergency instructions and information.
For more information, contact the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management at 602-273-1411
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Notes to the media: The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management, in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, coordinates and implements offsite response plans for the Palo Verde Generating Station. Palo Verde Generating Station is operated by Arizona Public Service (APS) and is owned by a consortium of seven utilities in the Southwest. It is the largest power producer of any kind in the United States.