SPRINGFIELD. Mo. — Some of those who live in Northern Greene County will now be able to hear emergency sirens closer to home.

The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has placed two new outdoor warning sirens in the Fellows Lake area.

Larry Woods Director of Emergency Management said emergency sirens are another tool to help warn people of dangerous weather.

“A lot of the sirens that we have are placed in areas of high population or areas where there are a lot of outdoor activities,” Woods said. “At Fellows Lake, it’s grown in popularity and use. We just got to a point where we felt it was very important to be able to put those devices in up there.”

Woods said they’ve been working with residents for several years on getting more sirens in the area.  

With the added sirens, those who are out on the water and using the trails can be more informed of when they need to take shelter.  

“I would definitely feel safer in the area, especially if we’re fishing or if we’re on a boat,” Sara Perry, who was visiting Fellows Lake said. “It would be nice just to have that calm of mind that we could have a warning and get back to the dock and head home before there is a storm.”

Carter Jacobus said he comes to Fellows Lake to fish a couple of times a week. “I think it’s a good idea to have more of the sirens.” said Jacobus.

When the sirens do go off Woods said that typically there will be a tornado or a damaging life-threatening wind event occurring.  “So the proper shelter technique is to either go to a basement or an actual storm shelter,” Woods said. “or put as many, we always tell people to put as many walls between you and the outside world as possible.”