St. Louis Emergency Chief Suspended After Siren Failure During Tornado
Following a devastating tornado in St. Louis on May 16th that resulted in five fatalities, Mayor Cara Spencer has placed Sarah Russell, the commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), on administrative leave.
The suspension is a direct consequence of the failure to activate the city's warning sirens before the tornado struck. An external investigation has been launched to determine the precise causes of this critical lapse in protocol.
Siren System Failure
St. Louis is equipped with 60 outdoor sirens designed to automatically activate upon the issuance of a tornado warning by the National Weather Service (NWS). However, these sirens remained silent on the day of the deadly storm.
It was discovered that Russell was attending an offsite workshop when the NWS issued the warning. While she contacted the Fire Department, her instructions were deemed ambiguous, and the sirens were not activated. The recording of the call was released by the mayor's office.
Corrective Measures
Further investigation revealed that the activation button at the Fire Department was not working. Work to repair the button is underway. However, the activation button at the CEMA office was functional. As an immediate measure, Fire Department personnel will now be stationed at the CEMA office 24/7 to ensure sirens are activated when needed.
Fire Chief John Walk has been appointed as the interim emergency management commissioner, taking over from Russell until a permanent replacement is found.
